Procedure of the Heart
by BrittanaWatson
Summary: Given the opportunity to work alongside one of the greatest diagnostic teams in America, Brittany Pierce is immediately drawn towards a fellow associate . Doctor!Brittana. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yes, yes, I know I have two major stories that I should be updating rather than starting a new one but my imagination wonders and I can't help it. I've been watching a lot of House, M.D lately and I pictured Brittana in those situations and BAM this story popped into my head. Give it a try, I know FTM and ToE are still in progress and I am still working on them, but I have to work slowly to make sure I actually like what I'm giving you all to read. Anyway!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any characters/songs in this fic. Those you do not recognize are my own.**

**Twitter: BrittanaWatson**

**-B**

* * *

October, 2014:

You flinch in bed, under your covers, when a sharp sound reaches your ears; keeping your eyes shut tightly. You were exhausted, having fell asleep very late or very early however you look at it.

The first thing you noticed, still with your eyes closed, was the heavy panting coming from directly in front of your face. A groan escapes when you realize why you're awake, and you crack your eye open only a tad, catching sight of big brown eyes staring up at you. You clamp your eye shut and turn your head further into your pillow, only then registering how fricken cold it is in your apartment. You pull your knees up to your chest and try and push yourself further into bed, grunting when the bed dips and tiny paws are pressing into your side.

"Chess, go away." You groan, rolling slightly to get the dachshund off of you. You can picture his end half of his body moving side to side as he wags his tiny tail, and smile faintly. "Go away." You groan, rolling over. Chess lets out a sharp bark and you huff, opening your eyes. You glance at him and his tongue falls out of his mouth, his eyes bright and glistening with excitement. You grin at him and grab him in your arms, rolling over, snuggling him to your chest as he licks your chin.

You snuggle the pup for a few minutes before tilting your head and looking at your alarm.

"Shit…" you breathe and rip the covers off you, shivering at the cold air hitting your skin. You went to bed with only short pajama shorts and a sports bra, always getting hot at night anyway. You quickly walk out of your room to the hallway where the thermostat, cranking it up to get some heat going on.

You start the kettle, leaving it on medium, and run to the bathroom, flicking the light on. You grab your toothbrush, sticking it in your mouth after applying the paste, and lean back, looking out of the bathroom at Chess sniffing around the hall.

"Whoa, no!" you shout around the toothbrush and grab the pup before he can even think about lifting his leg. He licks happily at your chin and you scrunch your nose, opening the balcony door. Chess wiggles to get out of your arms and you place him down, watching him go to the patch of artificial grass. You lean against the door frame and brush your teeth, narrowing your eyes at the pup when he looks at you while holding his leg up. You shake your head fondly at him and give him some privacy to go and rinse your mouth.

You set a towel on the toilet lid and run to let Chess in, picking up his little gift and toss it over the edge of the balcony fence, watching it land in the large trash bin. You grin widely, very much pleased with the placement of the bin, and go back inside, hurrying to shower before the kettle starts shrieking.

* * *

Pulling into the large parking lot, you squint and look around for the spot with a reserved sign holding your name. You maneuver through the long rows of vehicles in the lot until you find your parking space, a fair distance from the Hospitals front entrance. You park and turn the engine off, letting out a nervous breath as you stare at the building, watching doctors, nurses, and patients go inside.

This was it.

You still couldn't believe your luck for getting an interview at the Hospital. Mercer-Ray has one of the best medical diagnostic teams in America and you, a _younger_ _woman_ from _Ohio_ not only got an interview, but a job. You were ecstatic. And nervous.

You never thought you'd be here; ever.

Dr. Puckerman was one of the finest diagnosticians you know of and getting to work beneath him is an honor.

You find yourself smiling faintly and shake your head, flipping down the mirror of your car and check your appearance. You wanted to make a good impression on your first day. Doesn't everybody? So you decided to keep your makeup as natural as possible while enhancing your cat-like eyes. You have always been told your hair look it's best when it was down and wavy and so that's how you did it. It fell with bouncy curls passed your shoulders. You give yourself a 8.5. Chess decided to snack on the heels you had at the end of your bed this morning, therefore ruining your entire outfit. Your second choice was a charcoal grey pantsuit, with a pink blouse, and nude heels.

You flip the visor back up and glance at your phone, widening your eyes at the time and basically kick the driver seat door open, scrambling out of the vehicle.

"First day, already late. Good job, Brittany." You hiss to yourself as you carefully speed walk through the parking lot.

You let out a breath when you step inside the heated building and unbutton your black wool trench, pulling your scarf further from your neck.

Your eyes dance over and along the walls of the building. It was emasculate. Beautiful and professional. A welcoming feeling washes over you and you shiver lightly, lifting your tea to your lips.

"Damn!" you yelp, lowering the steaming mug, and pout, lightly brushing your bottom lip.

You tense when you hear someone stop behind you, and hesitantly turn to look at them.

A tall Asian man lifts a brow at you, glancing from your hand at your lips to the tea in your other hand and looks around before giving you're a polite smile.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Ma'am?" he asks, pulling off his leather gloves and tucking them into the pocket of his expensive jacket. You blink, having been focused on his handsome face, and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Uh, no, I just…I'm good." You tell him with an embarrassed blush. He tilts his head and takes his hat off, pulling at his scarf.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, thanks though." You nod and turn, moving to the elevators.

"Uh, Ma'am," he begins, catching up to you when you push to go up, "Are you visiting family? Can I take you to a room?" he asks with concern. You shake your head, waving your free hand and he straightens.

"No, not family or anything. I work here." You tell him and his brows shoot up in surprise. Your frown at his look and he shakes his head, laughing faintly, moving into the elevator with you.

"Sorry, you just seemed a little lost." He says and you tilt your head, not knowing if that should offend you or not. "Mike Chang." He says, holding his hand out to shake. You smile faintly and shake his hand, tucking your free one into your pocket. "How long have you been working here? I don't think I've seen you before." He says, "What floor?"

"Oh, uh, four I think." You nod and he smiles, hitting the button.

"Same." He grins, leaning back. "Sorry, go on."

"It's actually my first day." You tell him with a shaky breath, forcing a smile. Mike grins and crosses his arms, nodding.

"Nice."

"Yeah, I got an interview with Dr. Schuester last week and now I'm on Mercer's diagnostic team." You rock on your feet with some excitement, and your smile falters at Mike's surprised lift of his brows. "What?"

"I didn't know we were actually looking for fellow." He says before chuckling and stepping out of the elevator with you. "We're going to be working closely together…" he draws out, looking back at you. You pull your gaze from the halls looking for the office, and smile in apology.

"Brittany Pierce."

"Pierce." He grins, opening a door for you, "After you." He grins, motioning into the room with glass walls.

* * *

You step inside hesitantly and look around. It was wide open with the walls for the hallway made of glass, 'Diagnostic Medicine' printed on the glass door. The corner had a small counter area, and a large table was positioned near the corner with chairs around the surface, a separate desk across the room. Another room, looking more like a separate office came off the diagnostic office with 'Dr. Noah Puckerman' written on the door.

"I can grab your coat." Mike says bringing you out of your own head. You look over your shoulder at him and smile thankfully, handing over your coat after pushing your scarf into one of the sleeves. "This must be for you." He says, handing you a white lab coat while hanging your outside coat on a hanger by the door.

You look at it in your hands and smile faintly, slipping it on and flip your hair over your shoulders.

"Already looking the part, I see." You snap your head up, and smile timidly at the tan muscular man. Hazel eyes staring back at you with a grin. "You must be Dr. Pierce." He states, taking his coat off and hanging it, leaving him in pressed black slacks, a lavender shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and a black and grey tie. He runs his hand over his shaved head and walks over, holding his hand out. "Dr. Puckerman."

"Nice to meet you." You say, shaking his hand respectfully with a growing smile. He grins widely and nods, letting go of your hand to head towards the coffee machine.

"I see you've met, Dr. Chang." He says, glancing over. You nod and look towards Mike taking a seat at the table. Noah hands Mike a cup of coffee and the Asian man thanks him, giving you a smile as Noah walks towards a white board and glances at his watch. "Fifty says she's one time today."

"You probably made a deal to split so I'm going sit this one out." Mike laughs, shaking his head at your boss. Noah grins knowingly and drops his wrist, crossing his arm under his other while lifting his mug to his lips.

"So, Pierce." Noah begins. You lift your brows, waiting and look at the door when it opens.

* * *

Your jaw drops as you stare at the gorgeous brunette whom just entered the room. Her dark mocha eyes focus solemnly on you as her plump lip purse tightly. She arches a brow in question while unbuttoning her cream trench coat, and hangs it up, retrieving her lab coat, never taking her eyes off you.

"Time?"

"7:58."

"Damn, I would've won." Mike grumbles and Noah chuckles as you continue to stare at the Latina. You can't help but run your eyes down her body. Her white blouse hugging her bodacious chest just as well as her black pencil skirt does her hips and thighs. You don't know how anyone would be able to work in the black pumps she's wearing but the way they make her legs look longer, wow.

"You idiot's betting on me again?" she husks and you pert ear moan at her raspy voice.

"I would've made a fifty." Mike comments as the woman shrugs on her lab coat and glances at you, eyeing you closely.

"Who's…" she motions her hand to you, looking at Noah and you clear your throat, walking closer to her with your hand out. "Okay." She chuckles quietly, narrowing her eyes at the gesture.

"This is our newest fellow, Dr. Brittany Pierce."

"Right." She says slowly, glancing at your hand before grasping it firmly. She gives a solid shake, looking you in the eye, "Lopez." She says before dropping your hand and moving to grab herself a coffee. You wet your lips and turn around, looking at Noah and Mike. "I didn't know you were hiring." She says, looking at Noah.

He shakes his head with a smile and motions towards the table, offering you to sit. You do so, taking the seat closest to the door and try not to stare creepily at Dr. Lopez again.

"Schuester thought it would be better to add another." He tells her as she walks to the table a takes a seat near Mike. "Anyway, Pierce." He says and you straighten. "As important as getting to know you is, how familiar are you with the layout of the hospital?" he asks and you pull your eyes from Lopez as soon as she lifts her gaze from her coffee. You fidget with your empty tea mug and look at Noah.

"Dr. Schuester showed me around the floors for an hour or so. I can't remember a lot though." You admit and he nods.

"Alright." He puts his mug on the table and tucks his hands in his pockets, "Chang, I want you to show Piece around quickly. So you can find your way easily on your own." He says, looking at you for the last bit. You nod as Mike stands up and glance at Dr. Lopez sipping her coffee.

"Come on, we'll go to the operation wing first." He says, holding the office door open for you.

* * *

**A/N: What did you think? Heads up, the chapters will usually be shorter like so, although the occasional may be somewhere near 5000, not sure, this story isn't my main priority when it comes to updating, just something on the side that I have fun writing. Something different. AND I do not have a degree in medicine so excuse me if anything seems completely full of shit, I will try to make it authentic though. **

**So hit me up with the reviews and follows etc. I love hearing from you all. And as always you can tweet me questions about my stories and I'll be sure to reply. **

**-B**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just wanted to say thank to everyone who reviewed and followed/fav'd! I don't know I think this story is fun, it's amazingly fun to write so yeah lol. Here's the next installment!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any characters/songs in this fic. Those you don't recognize are my own.**

**-B**

* * *

October, 2014:

"And this, as you've seen when you came in, is the clinic." Mike announces, holding his hand out as you and him walk through the doors into the main clinic area.

Within the hour and a half Mike had showed you the many operation rooms, different floors, all the test labs, MRI room, etc. Last spot was the clinic and your feet were starting to bother you from walking so quickly to keep up with Mike's long quick strides. "So, think you can find your way around a bit better now?" he asks jokingly, nudging your arm.

You chuckle and nod as you both turn around to leave.

"Hey, hey!"

You turn and look over your shoulder, Mike following suit, and widen your eyes at a tall blond man sinking to the floor, trying to hold himself up against the wall.

You and Mike exchange a quick look before you rush over and catch the guy before he collapses completely.

"Chang!" you call, looking at him with wide nervous eyes as he runs over, going to the other side of the man.

"M-my foot." He stutters in fear, looking up at you. You look down at him and he drops further, sinking to the floor. He blinks and looks between you and Mike completely terrified, "I-I can't feel my leg." He gets out and you and Mike exchange looks.

* * *

"So, you're…" Noah starts as soon as you and Mike walk into the room.

"We got a case." Mike says and Noah gets up from the chair, going to the whiteboard. You hand Noah a copy of the file and he flips it open while you hand Lopez the original. Mike sits at the front of the table and you lean back against the table, watching Noah pop off the cap of a marker while handing you the copy of the file.

"Daniel Rader." Mike says, "Claimed he his foot was numb before his legs gave out. Couldn't feel either. We drew blood, waiting in the lab."

You look up from the file as Noah writes 'Sudden numbness' on the board, looking at it before looking at all of them.

"What else?"

"That it." Mike shrugs, and you look between them.

"Numbness can be a symptom of hundreds of diagnoses." Dr. Lopez pipes up, giving Mike an unimpressed look. He ignores her and crosses his arms, squinting at the board.

"Well that's all we got to go on." He states and Noah nods, clicking the cap back on the marker.

"Lopez's right," Noah says, glancing at the woman, "It can be anything. Test the blood and talk to the patient." You all nod and Lopez gets up, heading to the door as Mike waits for her. "Was family called in?"

"His fiancée is with him." You say and they all look at you. Noah nods after a beat before pointing to you and Lopez.

"Chang you do the test, Lopez, you and Pierce talk to the patient and the fiancée. See if they can tell you anything. If he's been experiencing anything else that could give us more to go by."

You look from him to Dr. Lopez with wide eyes and she glances at you before nodding at Noah, leaving the room. You jump up to follow her and Mike lightly pats your shoulder before going the opposite way down the hall.

* * *

"So, uh…" you start awkwardly, falling in line with Dr. Lopez as you walk down the hall, "What's your actual name?" you ask like a geek. You internally curse yourself when she side glances you before looking back down at the patients file.

"Dr. Lopez is fine." She states and you huff quietly, nodding as she turns a sharp corner. You stumble and pause, looking after her before catching up.

"Well yeah, but, I know Dr. Chang is Mike, and Dr. Puckerman is Noah so…"

"Santana." She says in irritation, closing the file and hitting the down button on the elevator, "Now can we focus?" she asks pointedly, stepping into the elevator.

"That's a pretty name." You say, standing beside her. The doors close and you wait, fidgeting with your hands in front of you while waiting. "So what do you think it is?" you ask.

Santana sighs and gives you a sharp look, leaving the elevator as soon as it opens.

"If you were listening in the office, you would've heard me say it can be anything. We don't have enough symptoms to base our diagnosis." She says. You nod as you follow her and walk into the room after her. You falter at her strict tone with a frown. "Mr. Rader! How are you doing so far? I'm Dr. Lopez." You look at Santana like she's grown two heads at the immediate change in her tone and look at the patient with a reassuring grin, following Santana to the bed side. "This is Dr. Pierce; although I hear you two have already met." She chuckles after holding her hand out towards you. "We were hoping to get some family history, and just talk to you a little more to see if we can pull something to help our diagnosis." She says and you stare at her in amazement. Totally in awe of how she's taking control and so confident.

"Uh, yeah, sure." He nods faintly, furrowing his brows.

"I heard your fiancée is here with you?" she asks and Mr. Rader nods, motioning towards the door.

"Yeah, she just went to grab a coffee I think."

"Great." She smiles quickly, flipping to another page and pulling a pen from her pocket, clicking the end. "Let's start with your mother's side."

* * *

"Well that gave us nothing." Santana mumbles to herself as you follow her out of the room. You nod and look at the file in her hands as she writes a few things down, walking away from the room. You keep up with her and semi face her, holding your hands out.

"He said he's been playing a lot of basketball with friends lately, maybe it's a herniated disc." You say, lifting your shoulders. Santana barely casts you a glance, furrowing her brows as she continues to look through the patients file.

"It's not a herniated disc." She states and you huff quietly, sticking your hands in the pockets of your lab coat as she pushes the button for the elevator. "There hasn't been any major changes in…"

"Do you not like me?" you ask suddenly and Santana lifts her gaze, eyeing you head to toe before scoffing and stepping into the elevator. "No, really, have I done something?"

"Does it really matter if you did or didn't?" she asks, closing the file and holding it in front of her, "I'm here to do my job, help my patients, not become your new best friend." She says, glancing at you with a judging eye.

You shift, insulted, and take your hands from your pockets, crossing your arms defensively over your chest instead, "I didn't ask you to be my best friend. We're cohorts; I'm just trying to make conversation."

"Well unless it's about a patient," she begins and you open your mouth, "And not completely idiotic," she gives you a hard pointed stare, "I don't care to hear it." She shrugs simply, stepping out of the elevator and heading to the office.

You step out and watch her go, sighing dejectedly with a hand through your hair.

* * *

"What do you got for me?" Noah asks as soon as you walk into the office. You pause, looking from him to Santana as she sinks down into a chair, crossing her legs slowly while flipping open the file.

"Uh…"

"No family history of any illnesses besides the common cold. Majority of his family died from old age; excluding the few traffic accidents. He's not on any medication and there hasn't been any life changes that explain his symptom; he's been eating healthier they say, and he's been going to the gym more. The fiancée had some concern about him pausing randomly during conversations but that may be nothing." Santana informs Noah, tapping her pen lightly against the table.

Noah nods and glances faintly at you before motioning for Mike to go next, folding his arms over his broad chest.

Mike drops his hand from running it through his hair and shrugs, "His blood test was clear."

"Very helpful, Chang." Santana snorts and Mike rolls his eyes.

"Instead of being your usual bitch self, why don't you offer up some brilliant ideas." He says irritated.

"Myxedema." She says simply and Mike lets out a chuckle.

"He hasn't complained of any fatigue or depression. No sensitivity to the…" Mike goes on and Santana glares at him.

"And what's your diagnosis, Chang?" she bites as you watch them go back and forth.

"Demyelination."

"Right, you suggest that right after stating he hasn't experienced fatigue. Another thing he hasn't experienced which is a major symptom of demyelination is paresthesia." She states with a smug grin.

"Okay, enough." Noah tells them and Santana slowly turns her head to send Noah a glare. "So we have numbness." Noah sighs, looking at the whiteboard to the right of him. You shift, standing with your hands in your pockets and watch him tap the tip of the marker against his palm as he thinks. "Have you done an EMG?" he asks, squinting.

"You didn't tell us to do…" Mike begins.

"Do it." He nods, "Stick to the nerve conduction study, we don't need to waste time if it isn't an issue with his nerves. If the test is inconclusive, then run the muscle test."

Santana and Mike nod, getting up and walk around you, leaving the room. You turn to follow when a hand holds you back by your wrist.

You look back at Noah and he lets go, putting his hands on his waist while glancing at his shoes. When he lifts his head you swallow, "Are you feeling okay?" he asks and you frown in confusion.

"I'm fine." You shrug and he nods slowly, running a hand over his head.

"Look I get that it's your first day and our methods take a while to get use to but…Pierce, we're a team. You need to start offering suggestions and giving your input." Noah says, his brows lifted, staring into your eyes. You open your mouth, not sure what to say, disappointed in yourself for just slowing the team down, and close it, nodding firmly. He narrows his eyes faintly, searching your eyes for any sign of doubt and uncertainty, waving you off when he finds nothing.

You give him a nervous smile, turning and walking out of the room with your hand on your forehead.

* * *

You watch from the doorway as Mike holds the patient's, Daniel's, arm, helping him carefully sit down in the wheelchair, and look towards Santana explaining what test you were going to be running and what exactly it is.

Daniel looks from Santana to his fiancée, Amy, and gives her a reassuring smile before Mike begins pushing him out of the room. Santana gently places her hand on Amy's bicep, squeezing faintly in reassurance before looking at you and shaking her head, leaving the room. You straighten as she passes and roll your eyes, stepping out.

"Dr. Pierce?"

You pause mid step and spin back around, giving Amy a warm smile.

"Yes?" you ask, stepping closer. You tilt your head as you watch her, waiting patiently, and smile encouragingly when she looks up with a nervous smile.

"I-I thought of something that we didn't mention earlier." She says and your brows lift as you straighten, nodding for her to continue, "I don't know if it will help or anything though."

"Amy, most times when people don't think something can help us, it can." You tell her and she nods with a nervous chuckle. She rubs her arms and you nod for her to go on.

"Well, Daniel proposed four months ago and…" she shifts awkwardly, averting her eyes for a moment, "We've always been quite…active…when it comes to…"

"When it comes to sex." You finish for her, nodding. She grins and nods, chuckling with pink cheeks. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Sex is sex." You chuckle and she gives a genuine smile, her shoulders relaxing.

"Yeah, well…we decided not to take a break until our honeymoon, and then two months ago all of the sudden he just stopped." She says with furrowed brows, looking to the side, "He would always stop before it went further than kissing and…I just don't know why. I mean, it's weird right? And he didn't say we'll just wait for the honeymoon, we just stop and don't talk about it." She sighs.

You bite your lip as you glance up, thinking, and look back at her, giving her a reassuring smile and squeeze of her arm.

"I'll talk with my team. We'll figure out what's wrong." You tell her and she nods with a relieved breath. You chuckle and drop your hand, turning to head to the office. Mike and Santana can handle the EMG themselves, right?

* * *

**A/N: Review, Follow, Fav! Don't wanna say that the more you review, the faster I'll try to update but... ;) No, no, I'll try anyway.**

**-B**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Glad you're all liking the story so far. **

**I just wanted to thank you for the reviews etc. and address one of you guys who mentioned them wanting Britt to step up as a doctor kinda, seeming like she doesn't know much. This chapter should fix that in your eyes, hopefully. More Brittany/ Santana interaction in this chapter, this may be one of my favorites so far. Also meeting another Glee character in this one so yay for that. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs/characters in this fic. Although characters you don't recognize are my own.**

**-B**

* * *

October, 2014:

"Where the hell did you disappear to?" Mike chuckles as he and Santana walk back into the office. You look up from the file on the table and Noah sits down on the edge of the table, pointing the marker at you as he addressed the two.

"Rader's fiancée talked to Pierce when you two went to do the EMG." He said and Mike lifted his brows, leaning against the wall while Santana stood near him, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"What'd she say?"

"Apparently our patient cut off sex two months ago. They didn't agree to wait for their honeymoon, he just stopped initiating." You answer and she scrunches her nose.

"And that's supposed to help us?" she asks, giving you an unimpressed look before turning to Noah. "EMG was negative." She says and Noah sighs heavily.

"What do we think it could be?"

"Atherosclerosis?"

"_That's_ _it_?" you ask as Noah gets up and starts pacing slowly. You hold your hands out in disbelief, "We're not going to take the sex thing into consideration?"

"Pierce, I know I told you to throw out your suggestions but…"

"But their sex life, or lack thereof," Santana says, leaning forwards, gripping the back of the chair closest to her while staring at you, "Doesn't help us."

You clench your jaw and shake your head, looking down at the file in defeat.

"Unless…" Mike speaks up and you glance at him as does Noah, Santana shaking her head. "What if there's a reason for him not wanting sex?"

"Every guy wants sex." Santana states, "He could be getting it somewhere else. Wouldn't surprise me, all men are pigs." She says, sitting down. You shoot her a disgusted look and she grabs the file from in front of you with an arched brow.

"No," Mike shakes his head, pushing away from the wall. You all watch him walk to the table and arch a bow when he lightly knocks this index finger knuckle on the table, "What if it's not that he wants to wait, or isn't interested?" he asks, nodding once with meaning. Your lips part as it comes to you, and apparently Noah and Santana as well.

"You think it could be a symptom." Noah states and Mike nods. You look at Noah and he wets his lip before writing 'flaccid' on the board beneath 'sudden numbness'. "It could be a B6 deficiency, autonomic dysregulation."

You pull your gaze from Santana, observing her manicured nails, and at Noah.

"We can test heart rate, blood pressure, and tumescence in the sleep lab to test his impotence?" Mike suggests.

"Why not." Santana mumbled, "Give him one of Puck's porno magazines he keeps hidden in the bottom right drawer of his desk." She says slowly, turning her head to flash him a knowing smirk. You furrow your brows at the name and look at Noah. He clears his throat and nods to Mike before excusing himself to the clinic.

"He has porn at work?" you ask aloud and Santana hums, getting up. You get up with her and Mike lets out a laugh as he walks back into the connected office from Noah's separate one.

"You think he's into the outdoorsy type?" Mike asks, tossing you the magazine. You fumble to catch it and blush deeply at the page it's opened to.

"I'd rather not think about it." You mumble, holding the magazine out to Santana. She eyes you with an amused smirk and take the magazine, scanning her eyes over the page quickly before closing it and rolling it up, putting it in her lab coat pocket. "Pierce, you're coming with." She says and you gape in shock as Mike slows to stand beside you, hands in pockets with a surprise smile.

"Why me?" you ask and Santana pulls the door open.

"Because if I'm in a room with Chang any longer, I'll most likely strangle him. I can only handle so much Asian at a time." She say with a pointed look at Mike.

"I'll be in the café if you need me." He pats your shoulder before walking out of the room. You look at Santana and she motions an over exaggerated sweep of her arm towards the door, making you crack a faint grin and lead her out of the room.

* * *

"Uh…" You and Santana raise your heads from the monitors in the small glass chamber in the large testing room and look at Daniel lying on a single bed with cords taped to various parts of his body; holding the magazine in his hand. "This is kind of…no, it's really humiliating." He says and you hold back a smile as Santana chuckles under her breath.

You shake your head and lean towards the mic, pressing the button to let you talk, "Just relax, Daniel. We're going to close the blinds and give you privacy right after we finish getting set up in here. Alright?" you ask and wait for him to nod before smiling at him and releasing the button.

"When the fiancée talked to you," Santana begins, reaching across you to turn a knob, "Did you actually think she gave you decent information?" Your eyes lock on her hand and run up her arm until you glance at her face, and wet your lips, shifting to straighten in your seat.

"No." you answer honestly.

Santana pulls her arm back and adjusts a few of the monitor settings, nodding slowly, "So why'd you get all defensive when I shut it down?"

"Because you were being a bitch and I wanted to prove you wrong." You tell her simply and turn your head to look at her when her fingers stop along the keyboard. She looks at you and you shrug, "It's true."

"It was stupid to believe him not wanting to go further than kissing is a somehow relevant."

"Yet look where we are." You tell her and she rolls her eyes, reaching forwards and closing the blinds, "Go ahead, Daniel." You say into the mic and lean back, waiting for a something to show up on the monitor.

"We're only doing this because Chang managed to sucker Puck into this nonsense."

"Why do you keep calling him Puck?" you ask with a frown, picking fluff off your coat.

Santana runs a hand through her hair and shrugs, "S'what I always called him."

"What do you mean?"

"He went by Puck from the time he was eleven until he was accepted into John Hopkins."

"You knew him when he was so young?" you ask in curiosity, turning your chair to face her completely. She nods once, eyes focused on the monitors. "How?"

"We're basically family." She sighs, squinting and leaning forwards, "Blood pressure and heart rate are rising." She points out.

"Basically family?" you tilt your head to the side and Santana side glances at you.

"We're cousins." She reveals before lifting her brows and leaning closer to the monitors. "He's erect." She states, dropping her gaze to the file in front of her.

You widen your eyes and roll your chair closer to her, putting your hand on the back of her seat as you look closely at the monitor, "Did he just…?"

Santana follows your gaze and arches a brow, pressing on the mic button, "Alright, Daniel, we got what we need from here." She says and releases. You wait a moment for his reply and exchange looks before you open the blinds. "Shit." She breathes, jumping out of her chair.

* * *

Santana drops to her knees by his side and you look at her as she presses her fingers to his neck.

"His hearts racing." She says quickly, pointing behind you, "Get the pads."

You move quickly, grabbing the defibrillator and set it on the floor, as you kneel on the other side of Daniel. You pull open his robe, revealing his chest as Santana grabs the pads, and squeeze the gel onto one. Santana rubs them together quickly before positioning them correctly on his chest and looks at you. "Charging…"

You nod and she nods in return, "Clear!"

You flinch when his chest lifts from the shock and feel for a pulse when Santana lifts the pads from his body. "Go again." You say quickly and jump to your feet.

"Get someone in here." She tells you just before you grab the phone from the wall and bring it to your ear. "Clear!"

"Page Dr. Chang and send a bed down!" you shout before hanging up and running back over to Santana and Daniel. His chest jumps and you check for a pulse, letting out a relieved breath when you feel it has slowed down to a normal rate. "Thank god." You breathe and Santana puts the pads back, running a hand through her hair just as the doors open and Mike comes in with a bed and two nurses. One of the nurses and Mike rush over and help get Daniel up, and carrying him to the bed.

* * *

"Myxedema, Demyelination, and Atherosclerosis aren't the problem." Santana says, sinking into a chair in the office. You run your hands down your face and look at Mike when he speaks up.

"It could be sepsis." he suggests, "Explains the erratic heartbeat."

"No," Santana says with a shake of her head, holding it in her hand, elbow on the table, "Grave's disease makes more sense. Heart palpitations, erectile dysfunction, and weight loss."

"Weight loss is easily explained by visiting the gym more often and his diet changes." You say.

"Graves is the most logical." Noah states and Santana tilts her pen towards him in thanks for agreeing with her. "Radioactive iodine therapy."

"You want to _nuke_ his thyroid." Mike states and you look at Noah in shock. "Without even knowing if he really does have Grave's?"

"Santana could be wrong and then…" you say, shaking your head.

"Of course she could be wrong but it's our best bet." Noah says and Santana rolls her eyes. You shake your head in disagreement with him and he sighs, running his hand over his head with his eyes closed tightly before opening them. "Fine, do an iodine uptake to be certain." He says an all of you leave the room.

* * *

"Well not all of us needs to be there for the test." Mike says as the three of you walk down the hall. You drop your hand from tucking hair behind your ear and look at him. He lifts his shoulders, hands in the pockets of his lab coat and cracks a faint smile. "Am I wrong?"

"No, you're completely right, Chang." Santana says, turning down a different corridor.

"Where are you going?" Mike calls and Santana spins around walking backwards with a smirk.

"You two can handle the test, can't you?" she says, disappearing down the hall.

"Technically it only takes one person to…"

"Have fun." You smile, patting his shoulder as you head for the elevator as he stops by the floor reception desk. "I'm thinking early dinner." You give him as a reason and hit the lobby button; giving him a playful wave as the doors close.

You watch the red indicator light decrease floor numbering and let out a sigh when the door opens, stepping out.

"Huh, I would've bet you'd be left to run the test."

You look over your shoulder as Santana walks towards you from a hall leading to stairs, with a thoughtful expression.

"Why me?" you as the two of you head for the cafeteria. "Wait, let me guess, because I'm the new kid and am scared to piss of my boss?"

Santana cracks a faint grin, pushing the door open to the café and gets in line for food, "Because you care for your patients."

"And you don't?" you challenge, grabbing a tray after Santana, and grabbing a packaged Caesar salad, chicken wrap and bottle of water. You were starving, only having eaten a bagel for breakfast, and a granola bar for lunch; and it was already a quarter to five.

"I do, we all do, but you're overly sympathetic and empathetic. You try and connect with them on a personal level while the rest of us, minus Fabray, one of the oncologist, just stick to diagnosing and treating."

"And trying to connect with patients on a personal level is…wrong?" you ask with furrowed brows, pulling a ten from your wallet, handing it to the register lady with a polite smile after Santana pays for her sandwich and ice tea.

"If you get close with a patient your emotions will undoubtedly cloud your medical judgment and you'll screw up. It's happened before and it'll happen again." You shake your head as you slide into the seat across from her at the small round table and she pauses from pulling her chair in, glancing at you, "What are you doing?" she asks and you freeze from taking a drink of water.

"Uh," you draw out, holding your free hand out, "Eating?"

"This is my table." She states pointedly and you give her a look.

"Oh grow up, Lopez." Comes a slightly nasally voice from behind you. You follow the short haired blonde with your eyes as she walks to one of the two remaining unoccupied chairs at the table and Santana rolls her eyes, picking up her sandwich. The blonde smirks and takes a sip of her coffee, "She gets cranky if she doesn't eat." The woman says and you smirk at Santana's annoyed look.

"What now, Fabray?" she grumbles.

The blonde shakes her head at Santana before facing you and holding her hand out, "Quinn Fabray, fourth floor oncologist." She greets with a polite smile. You take her hand and shake gently but firmly.

"Brittany Pierce, diagnostic medicine. Nice to meet you."

"You as well." She chuckles, pulling her hand back before crossing her legs and dropping her hands to her lap. "So today's your first day."

"Why do you say that?"

"You scream neophyte." Santana cuts in as Quinn opens her mouth.

"Shut up, Santana." She rolls her eyes as you scowl harmlessly at the brunette, "I was going to say because I haven't seen you before now and Puck was going on about his hot new fellow." You flush at the compliment and lick your lips, glancing at Santana bashfully.

You catch her lift and lower her brows quickly with a tilt of her head and narrow your eyes at her faintly.

"Anyway, who are you, Brittany?" she asks and you arch a brow as Santana snorts.

"Her way of asking for your background."

"Oh!" you nod and drop your hands to your lap. "Well, I'm 31, turning 32 in a couple months, um…no siblings. I got my degree at Duke," you list and catch Santana glance up at you, "I'm a rheumatologist with a residency in immunology."

"Impressive." Quinn nods interested, leaning forwards and pointing at Santana while looking you in the eye, "Lopez went to Duke as well. You two never ran into each other?" she asks, looking at the brunette.

"No. Now go away." Santana growls, glaring knowingly at the blonde. You tilt your head with curiosity and look between the two seemingly having an argument with their eyes. "God you're annoying."

"You know I'm right." Quinn says, taking a sip from her coffee.

"You couldn't be more wrong actually." Santana says, leaning back and running a hand through her hair.

"What's your case?" Quinn asks, turning her attention to you.

You shift and let out a sigh, tapping your fingers against you water bottle, "24 year old male. Symptoms include sudden numbness in his legs, impotence, and erratic heartbeat. We're running an iodine uptake at the moment."

"Who exactly is running the test if you're here?" Quinn laughs and you grin, "Let me guess, Chang?"

"You would be right." Santana mumbles.

"I usually am." Quinn smirks.

The brunette rolls her eyes and looks down when her beeper beeps. You watch her pull it from her waist, and grab your own when it goes off.

"As pleasant as this had been, we actually have jobs to do." Santana says faking a sweet smile to the oncologist. Quinn shakes her head at her friend and you get up, giving Quinn a smile.

"See you again."

"Good luck."

* * *

"Results?" Santana asks as you and her fall in line with Mike, each standing on one side. He looks up from writing in the patient file and arches a brow at Santana before glancing at you and looking ahead as the three of you continued down the hall towards the office.

He opens the door, holding it for both of you before following you in and tossing the file to Noah making his way into the team office from his personal one, "Thyroids normal. Good thing we didn't nuke it like you wanted us to."

"That's such a relief." Noah says sarcastically, flipping open the file and lifting his coffee to his lips.

"Don't be an ass, you'd be panicking if you made the wrong call and we went through with it." Santana says knowingly, crossing her legs after sitting on the edge of the table. You take a seat in the chair closest to her and look up at her when she makes the comment.

"So thyroid is normal but…" he trails off, furrowing his brows as he looks at the paper, "His body's not filtering the iodine. His kidneys are shutting down?" he asks in surprise, looking at Santana and you before Mike. Santana holds her hands up in surrender and Mike moves forwards, taking the file from Noah and handing it to Santana.

"Well, guess we can add in autoimmune." Santana says softly, narrowing her eyes as she flips through the file.

"Alright, we'll take this up tomorrow. Go home; get some sleep." Noah says, flashing a warm grin, pecking the side of Santana's head. "I'll get him on temporary dialysis."

She grimaces and pushes him against his chest, making you smile at the fondness between the two, and Noah chuckle. "I mean it, Santana, rest." He says strictly and Santana rolls her eyes, watching Noah go into his office. "See you all at 8." He calls before the door closes behind him.

You look from Santana to Mike as the Asian man exchanges his lab coat for his outside coat, tying his scarf loosely around his neck and slipping on his gloves.

"See you girls tomorrow." He grins, saluting as he leaves. Santana shakes her head at him and turns her head slowly, looking at you.

You widen your eyes and she narrows hers with a faint smirk. Your lips twitch into a small shy smile and Santana's smirk grows before she's on her feet and shrugging her jacket on.

You get to your feet and hesitantly walk over, slowing as you get closer to her. She was a very attractive woman, and for some reason that made you nervous. You've never been all shy and timid when someone attractive was around you but there was something about Santana Lopez that you found so alluring.

"S'cuse me…" you mumble reaching for your coat. Santana just fixes the collar of her jacket while watching you, and you slip your arms into the sleeves and button up the front before putting your scarf on. "It was nice getting to work with you today." You admit and Santana snorts.

"Charming." She chuckles, shaking her head, buttoning her jacket. "Also, it's been one day. You haven't seen nothing yet." She smirks, glancing up at you through her lashes. You swallow and she scans your face before spinning on her heel and leaving the office.

* * *

**A/N: Yay for Quinn! Writing her is always so fun, in whatever story.**

**And once again, this is based off House, M.D right, and so my medical info and treatments, medicine, etc. is all coming from the particular episode and the show in itself so don't bite my head off if any of you are studying medicine or have a degree and I butcher everything LOL. **

**Let me know what you thought! And heads up, for those of you reading other stories of mine as well as this one. I'm officially off for winter break, a about a month free so hopefully you'll get a few updates for my other stories, Turn of Events, and From This Moment, if not at least one. Just a heads up! ;)**

**-B**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys and gals! Ignore that lame intro...and we'll get straight to the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs/characters in this fic. Characters you don't recognize are indeed my own. **

**-B**

* * *

October, 2014:

You blink your eyes open and squint at the light coming in through the open blinds, lifting your hand to cover your eyes as you push yourself up on your other elbow. A yawn rips through and you turn, slapping your hand down on your night table, trying to find your charging phone. You wrap your fingers around it and unplug the charge from the bottom, lifting the galaxy to your face.

The alarm hasn't even gone off yet. You punch in your pin and turn off the alarm before it blares through the room and drop your arm to the bed, smiling tiredly when Chess's tiny head pokes up from the foot of your bed. You at the covers and he jumps, scratching the comforter as he struggles to get up with his tiny legs.

A fond giggle leave your mouth and you whistle, snapping at the side of you bed. Chess run around to your hand and you wrap it around his midsection, lifting him easily into your lap. "Morning, cuteness." You mumble, kissing his head. He laps away at your chin and you smile, letting him move around on your bed.

When you got home yesterday from work you took Chess for his walk and came home half an hour later diving right in to making yourself dinner. Garlic chicken, fried rice, and asparagus. Delicious. You hum at the remembrance of the first bite and swallow right as your stomach growls.

Chess, pausing from chewing on some of your blanket scrunched between his tiny paws, looks at you and tilts his head; his one ear hanging from his head.

You look back at your phone and notice you're still half an hour early before you're supposed to be up, and throw your legs over the side of your bed, scooping Chess into your hand. He was only six months, still has a puppies bladder although he hasn't had an accident in the past three weeks which you called a blessing.

Chess smells around the artificial grass before lifting his small leg, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he pees. You chuckle at his cute nose wiggling as he sniffs the air and go to set the kettle when he squats to do more of his business.

You lean against the counter of your decently sized kitchen and turn the knob on the stove watching the burner turn red before placing the kettle atop it. You retrieve a travel mug from the counter and put a teaspoon of gingerbread tea in the tea strainer before placing the strainer in the cup, waiting. You make sure the kettle is on low heat before letting Chess in and filling his bowl with water. You deal with his mess on the balcony before getting ready for work.

This time you chose a more casual approach; black pumps, dark blue skinny jeans, a charcoal fitting t-shirt, and thin black suspenders. You apply a fair amount of makeup, not caking your face, and smack your lips together after applying your pink gloss. You pull your hair into a high ponytail, the ends going just past your shoulder blades, and barely curl the tail to add some bounce.

Satisfied, you leave the bathroom when the kettle begins to shriek and lift it from the burner, pouring the water into your mug. Chess runs into the kitchen, and throws his small toy frog over his head, pouncing at it, making you smile widely at his playful puppy antics.

You take a look at the clock and debate leaving now and having half an hour to do nothing but wait for the others to show up. Others. Santana. You roll your eyes when your mind goes straight to the brunette and watch Chess play while an image of Santana sitting at the office table with her legs crossed, biting the end of her pen permanently sticks in your mind.

She seemed like a nice person once you got to know her more. Of course she's overly confident with her appearance and medical ability. But she has every right to be. She knew how to handle situations when you drew a blank or panicked, i.e., with Daniel. As you thought about it, you realized you were really, really lucky to be working with the people you do. And Quinn seemed nice enough.

You recheck Chess's water dish and put a small amount of food in his bowl for him to nibble if he feels like a snack, he doesn't eat until you get home so no accidents, before grabbing your jacket, accessories and keys; leaving the apartment.

* * *

"…You're early." Noah comments as he walks into the office. You smile at him, lifting your mug to your lips, and sigh as you lower it.

"I woke up earlier than usual." You offered as an explanation. He nods and heads to his office, hanging his jacket up and getting coming back out for a coffee.

"Think of anything last night? To help with the case?" he asks, taking a seat beside you. You shake your head 'no' and he nods, "Me neither." He sighs heavily, running his hand down his face. You spend minutes in silence, sipping at your drinks when your beeper goes off.

You lower your mug to the table and look at Noah as he straightens from his leant back position before looking at the tiny screen.

"It's Daniel." You tell him, looking at him with wide eyes. You get up and quickly leave the room, Noah watching your go.

"Dr. Pierce!" Amy calls you, tears in her eyes. You rush over from the elevator and put your hands on her arms, searching her eyes.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know…he just." Her lips trembles and you squeeze her arms and go passed her into Daniels room. You furrow your brows as he lies there, eyes wide and mumbling. "I just asked him how he was feeling and he started snapping at me. Telling me to get rid of that damn bird?" she shakes her head, holding her arms around herself as you move to Daniel's bedside, checking his monitors and IV.

"Daniel?" you say softly, dropping your eyes form the monitor to him.

He mumbles quietly and you lean forwards faintly only to jump when he explodes, "I said shut that damn bird up!"

"Daniel, there is no bird…" you try to calm him but he shakes his head furiously, clamping his eyes shut before snapping them open and glaring up at the ceiling.

"Ugh! When will that damn bird stop it's screaming." He snaps and you freeze, looking back at Amy to gauge her reaction. She shakes her head, holding her hands in front of her mouth as tears fall from her eyes, and you swallowing, looking back at Daniel.

You narrow your eyes at him and lean further down, noticing the tiny beads of sweat on his forehead, and the faint tint of his cheeks. You press the back of your hand to his forehead and lift your brows, pulling your hand back.

"He's burning up." You whisper and step back, calling for a nurse to tend to his fever before giving Amy a reassuring smile. The male nurse with shaggy blonde hair comes in and you do a double take when you catch his hair in a tiny ponytail. You shake your head faintly and glance back at Daniel, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he scratches reddened skin on his forearm. You turn and head for the office.

* * *

"He has a fever," you announce as you walk into the room. Mike and Santana pull their attention from each other, looking as if they were in the middle of a heated argument, and Noah heads to the board, writing it down. "He's also experiencing some delirium." You say slowly, crossing your arms as you tell them, "Started screaming at his fiancée to stop the _bird's_ screaming." You add and Santana rolls her eyes. You take note of her hair done in perfect waves, and the low cut black top with the long necklace. You run your eyes down her legs, the tight grey pencil skirt showing off her smooth toned legs, and accented with her cream pumps. "And he has a rash forming on his left forearm."

"So he's septic." Mike says holding his hands out.

Noah looks at the board after writing the rest of the symptoms, and nods, "But what infection does he have?" he sighs, narrowing his eyes at the board.

"Fungal infection. Tetanus, Pneumococcus…" Santana lists off while you squint, grabbing the folder Mike slid over after you beckoned for it.

"Could be Lyme disease." Mike adds and Noah turns to them.

"Listeria and rat bite fever could be it too." He says, tapping the marker against hi palm. "Start him on broad-spectrum antibiotics." He says and you furrow your eyes as you look up from the file and at the white board.

Mike and Santana get up and do as instructed while you look back at the file and reread Daniels information.

"Something bothering you, Pierce?" Noah asks, standing beside you. You snap your head up and shake it, forcing a smile as you close the file and leave the room.

* * *

"Dr. Pierce," you turn around and smile at Quinn as she approaches you in the hallway.

"Hey, Quinn."

"Hey, how's your patient doing?" she asks, joining your side as you begin to walk towards the elevator. You hit the down button and step inside with her.

"They're thinking he's septic, we have him on broad-spectrum antibiotics." You shrug, sighing as you close the file again and look at Quinn.

"They? You think it's something else." She says and you shrug.

"I don't know. Noah's diagnosis makes logical sense but…I don't even know what I think. I have a theory but…" you shake your head and Quinn hums.

"No fine work can be done without concentration and self-sacrifice and toil and doubt." She says pointedly, smiling faintly when you lock eyes. "Max Beerbohm."

You roll your eyes with a grin of your own and come back with, "Modest doubt is the beacon of the wise." Quinn lets out a genuine laugh and you chuckle with her. "William Shakespeare"

"There you go!" she beams, squeezing your bicep reassuringly. "If you have an inkling go with it. That what being a part of a diagnostic medical team is about. Making the right diagnosis, even if that means contradicting the others on your team."

You let her words sink in and nod, giving her a smile before getting out of the elevator, "Thanks." You tell her genuinely and Quinn nods with a grin when the door slides closed.

* * *

You slow as you get closer to Daniel's room and see Santana and Mike talking to Daniel and Amy, with Santana swapping IV packs, hooking the antibiotics. You chew lightly at your bottom lip watching Mike laugh at something Daniel says, Amy smiling in relief, and swallow, ducking your head as Mike and Santana leave the room and head down the hall, dropping off a file at the floors desk.

"How's he doing?" you ask, stepping into the room with one hand in your pocket, the other holding a copy of Daniel's file.

"He's doing well, Dr. Lopez and Dr. Chang just set him up with antibiotics." She breathes through a wide smile and you nod, lifting your gaze from the paper in the file. "What is it?" she asks, suddenly worried.

"Nothing." You tell her quickly and she shakes her head.

"You look like there's something wrong." She says, glancing at the file. You close it with a smile and glance at Daniel, eyes closed and breathing even.

"I'm just doing some checkup." You say. Which _is_ true. "I was wondering if you happened to leave anything else out of the information you provided us with yesterday. Anything at all."

"Um…I-I don't think so." She shakes her head with her brows furrowed in thought.

"You said he's changed his dietary habits. What exactly does he eat on a normal basis?" you ask, and Amy crosses he arms, chewing her bottom lip as she thinks.

"He has toast and eggs in the morning, lunch he packs steamed vegetables, some rice most days. He has bags of sunflower seeds with him for a snack throughout the day. Then it's usually red meats, chicken, pork throughout the week for dinner with rice or potatoes and vegetables."

You nod, nothing really sticking out at you and look back over at Daniel, "What does he usually drink? He's a new journalist right? Lots of coffee?"

"Oh, no actually. Only in the morning, maybe twice a week. Usually he has orange juice or tonic water."

You turn your head and look at her with your brows lifted, and walk over to Daniel quietly, not to wake him, "How much tonic water?"

"That's pretty much all he's been drinking for the past two months. I don't get it, it's pretty gross."

"Yeah, not for everybody." You say, your focus on Daniel's left forearm. You look at the rash and then move to his right forearm, the lack of rash, and carefully check his chest area and his shins before letting out a breath.

"Is something wrong?" Amy asks and you look at her, shaking your head with a soft smile.

"Everything looks fine." You tell her and she lets out a relieved breath, going to Daniel's side and taking his hand. "I'll leave you two alone." You tell her quietly and head for the door, taking another look at Daniel's monitor, noticing the lack of change.

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for the lack of Brittana in this chapter, but it's basically a filler. I could've doubled up this update but the next one will be up Tuesday anyway, maybe Wednesday so I guessss you can all wait with the dreaded cliffhanger. Sorry again, lol! Loves!**

**Although, a little challenge. If we can get 15 reviews before Monday, I'll post the next chapter. So 15 reviews for Chapter 4 before Monday = Immediate Chapter 5 update. Let's see if you guys can do it and how fast. ;)**

**-B**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Daaayum, guys! You really wanted this chapter update. Literally I woke up to 18 reviews. Well then, as promised, here's the next update. Also, I meant to point this out earlier, Mercer-Ray is fictional hospital.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs/characters in this fic. Any characters you don't recognize are my own. **

**-B**

* * *

October, 2014:

You push open the door of the team office and look around for Noah, heading to his personal office when he's not there. He looks up from the paper work on his desk and turns off the quiet rock music he had playing, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What's up?"

"It's not an infection." You tell him and his brows shoot up. His lips pull into a tight line and he nods stiffly, getting up from his chair to grab a cold drink from his mini fridge.

"Is that so." He says and you nod, holding out the file to him. He looks at it and takes it, flipping it open, scanning his eyes over the pages and newfound information. "Pierce…" he sighs, shaking his head, dropping the file to his desk. "It's an infection." He states and you shake your head, looking to the side.

"It's not an…"

"It is, Pierce." He says firmly, and you flinch, "It makes sense. Chang and Lopez agree."

"There are…"

"I don't want to hear it. Just get him on antibiotics."

"Santana and Mike already put him on." You mumble and Noah nods, waving his hand towards the door to dismiss you. You let out a heavy breath and leave his office with a clenched jaw. You knew you were right. You shake your head as you walk down the halls with purpose.

* * *

You spot Santana standing at the fourth floor desk talking to a thin nurse with a fair skin tone, and brushed back hair. She was smirking and the man was shaking his head with a smile at something she said.

"Santana!" you call, jogging over. She looks from the man to you and arches a brow. "I need to talk to you." You say before looking at the boyishly handsome man, "Hi, I'm Brittany Pierce; I work with Noah's team."

"Kurt Hummel; stuck as a nurse." He jokes and you chuckle, nodding.

Santana gives him a mocking smile and he scowls at her before sending you a smile and excusing himself. You watch him walk away before looking at Santana and clearing your throat.

"It's not an infection." You tell her and Santana lifts a brow.

"Pretty sure you were there when we agreed on infection." She says slowly and you shake your head.

"It's an allergy." You tell her and she snorts.

"He doesn't have itchy eyes or trouble breathing. The most common symptoms of an allergy." She says, "And if it _was_ an allergy he wouldn't have numbness, rapid heart rate, fever, basically everything he's showing." She shrugs, rolling her eyes while looking back down at the file.

You huff and give her a pointed look, "In rare and severe cases you can display numbness, rapid heart rate, fever, etc."

"Bring it up with Puck." Santana growls and you start getting frustrated.

"_Puck_…he won't believe me."

"And you think I do?" she laughs, "I'm only here because I want to see your reaction when you realize you're completely out of it."

"Santana," you whisper, stepping closer, "He's been drinking tonic water basically every day. He's _allergic_ to quinine. We need to start him on steroids."

"Are you crazy? If we give him steroids and it's not an allergy he'll die." She hisses and you cross your arms, matching her glare.

"If we don't he'll die." You tell her firmly. Santana shakes her head and eyes you carefully before turning to walk away. "Santana, just trust me on this."

"Trust you?" she laughs, turning to face you again, "We're doctors. We make diagnoses based on logic and science, not trust. We're not friends either, so why would I risk someone's life because you asked me to trust you?" she snaps, glaring at you harshly. "It's pretty obvious this is not the right job for you. I told you, you let emotions cloud your judgment. You could've proved me wrong but you proved me right." She says coldly and you swallow the lump in your throat as you watch her spin and walk off.

* * *

You look up from the water, hands holding each side of the sink, and into the mirror. You look yourself in the eyes and avert them because of the red from crying. You are strong, never one to cry over something so petty like hurt feelings, but you feel completely useless. You know you're right, that your team in wrong, but there isn't anything you can do about it. Noah didn't believe you, Santana didn't believe you, you didn't bother going to Mike to have him repeat what you've been told from the others.

The only one who seemed to have faith in you was Quinn and you only met her yesterday, and have had maybe a total of ten minutes talking to her. You look back into the mirror and think of Amy and Daniel. He'll die if they're wrong; like you know they are. Your jaw clenches and your knuckles turn white as your grip on the sink tightens.

You're out of the bathroom in a flash and storming to the pharmacist with purpose.

"Hey, you must be Dr. Pierce." The tall goofy looking pharmacists greet with a boyish smile. You give him a quick smile and look down before nodding to yourself.

"Uh…Finn," you say after squinting to read his nametag. He smiles, "I need 100mg of Methylprednisolone, please."

His brows lift and he opens his mouth to comment before nodding and going into the room to retrieve the drugs, handing the small jars over. You thank him, signing the log with your name before pocketing the medicine and heading for the elevators.

* * *

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Santana shouts, storming into the room. You snap your head up from injecting the medicine into his IV and look back down to continue. "You do realize what you're doing right? I should call fucking security." She hisses and you shrug.

"Then call them." You tell her before shooting her a hard look, "But I'm not letting you three kill him."

"You're out of your damn mind." Santana says, moving towards you. You push another 20mg before tossing the syringe out and staring at the sleeping Daniel.

"The antibiotics weren't helping. No progression. I told you it wasn't an infection."

"Antibiotics take a while to have affect."

"It doesn't take more than half an hour. It's been three." You tell her and get rid of the jars and plastic. You walk passed Santana and before you can leave she grabs your arm, spinning you around.

"You could lose your license." She states and you look between her eyes before nodding. "And you're willing to put your career on the line to prove me, Puck, prove us all wrong?"

"I'm willing to put my career on the line to save a patient from dying, and his fiancée from a broken heart." You tell her and her grip loosens as her eyes soften but barely. You pull from her grasp and leave the room.

* * *

"Quinine allergy is positive." Mike says, walking into the office. You let out a relieved breath and Noah lowers his cup from his lips.

"You're sure." Santana says and Mike nods, handing her the test results. "You have got to be kidding me." She chuckles in disbelief, glancing up at you. She furrows her brows and opens her mouth, shaking her head as she hands Noah the papers.

"Well…I guess the case if solved." He says slowly, and you glance at him nervously. "Good work." He nods, "Tomorrow at 8." He says before heading to his office. "Oh, and Pierce, if you ever pull anything like that again…"

"She saved our patients life." Santana cuts him off and you all look at her. "You can't fire her for that." She says before getting up and grabbing her jacket on the way out.

Noah leaves and Mike nudges you with is shoulder while fixing the collar of his jacket.

"You free for a drink?" he asks and you tilt your head. "A few of us grab a drink after we solve a case, and you're part of the team now. Plus you're the one who closed it." He grins and you part your lips, thinking quickly before nodding. "Great, I'll follow you home so you can drop off your car and ten we can head over."

As he said Mike follows you in his car to your apartment and you run in to let Chess do his business before filling his food dish and running out to Mike's car. He drives you to a bar five minutes from the hospital and parks, giving you a wink before the both of you get out and head inside.

You walk next to him as he leads you to a long table where eight people are sitting, two chairs open at the end. You spot Santana laughing with Quinn and Kurt and she slowly looks towards you, lifting her drink to her lips when you offer a tight lipped smile. She nods in return and Kurt and Quinn follow her gaze, smiling and waving you and Mike over.

You claim the seat next across from Kurt, Mike sitting beside you and that blond male nurse from earlier who you learnt goes by Sam. Then there was Finn, the pharmacist, Sebastian, a radiologist, Mercedes, and Rachel both nurses.

"So you're the mysterious Brittany Pierce?" Sebastian asks, your eyes locked with Santana's.

"That's me." You nod with a polite smile, eyes never leaving the brunette, lifting your bottle to your lips.

* * *

**A/N: So there's the end to _that_ mystery diagnosis.** **There was one of you guys, maybe two or three, but one for sure who had reviewed a while back, asking if I was only doing this one case and then the story would be finished. No, this is only one of the many cases that will be in this story. **

**Basically, you'll see Brittana in the hospital and outside of the hospital. The majority of the medical is from House episodes, although I try to change a few things up so it's not straight up copying, and the non medical stuff is all me. So there will **be an equal amount of medical, and non medical storyline in this fic. ****

****Also, I have no idea how long this fic will actually be but I have a semi idea of how this will indeed end. ****

****So, I'm thinking we'll try that challenge thing again. Let's say, seeing as we almost got 20 reviews for last chapter, that we in fact aim for 20 reviews this chapter and I'll get an update up Wednesday. Hope you liked this chapter! Some outside world coming next time. ****

****-B****


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay! So firstly I want to apologize for basically demanding reviews in exchange for fast updates. I didn't really mean it like how it appeared but that''s no excuse. I shouldn't have done that, and a couple of you told me as much, although you didn't need to. I thought about it myself after I had posted and yes I agree what I did was wrong. If you want to review etc. you shouldn't feel obligated because someone gives you an ultimatum. So no more "Challenge" nonsense! And please dont hate me :(**

**Secondly, this was one of those stories I just started that was just for fun and have a few chapters written which is what I'm updating, but when I run out of these already types up chapters, I don't know how often you'll get updates. This story is not my main focus, more like something to do while I battle my writers block for my other 2 stories. **

**And lastly, I'm sorry for not updating yesterday like I said. I completely forgot, and now one of those "omg I forgot!" bullshit, like a genuine "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot." I remembered while I was laying in bed last night going to sleep, and I was too comfortable to move, legit, like when you know you should but you're body is way to content with where you are so it's like you can't actually move even if you wanted to. So I'm updating as soon as I woke up, hope that's okay.**

**So here is the next installment; Chapter 6!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs/characters in this fic. Characters you don't recognize are my own.**

* * *

November, 2014:

It was your fourth week at Mercy-Ray and it was better than you could've expected. You have become great friends with the crew, aka those you grabbed your first drink with after the Daniel Rader case. They were all welcoming and hilarious; you always have a good time when you're around them. Noah seemed to forget all about you acting without his orders and you've found a friend in him as well. Santana on the other hand…

You were civil with one another. Sure you refer to her as your friend but she still acts the way she did during the first case when it comes to you. She doesn't give you the time of day when it's something personal, like asking to grab drinks or inviting her over for dinner with the rest of the crew. You know she's not interested in becoming your friend. Although you do know she respects you and your suggestions when it comes to a patient…well most of the times.

You can't seem to keep your eyes off of her when you're in the same area either. She just oozed confidence wherever she went and you recently came to the conclusion that you find confidence an absolute turn on.

Kurt might've called you out on your tiny crush your third week at the Hospital when you and Santana were sent to perform a bone marrow biopsy. He had been there offering assistance, and caught you staring at her mouth as she smiled widely at something the patient had said while the procedure took place. You tried to avoid him the rest of the day but he managed to track you down before you left the building and squealed in excitement when you blushed as he voiced his suspicions.

You couldn't help it. Santana was just…amazing all around. She had a perfect body from what you could tell from the tight clothing she wore, a radiant smile, silky, shining hair, gorgeous brown eyes and a beautiful brain. She was one of the smartest women you've ever met.

And her laugh, god her laugh. You've only heard it a couple times, mostly around Quinn and Mercedes, but it was the most angelic sound you've ever heard. The first time you witnessed her laughing was when you were at the lounge and your waitress shut Sam's lame attempt at flirty down, hard. Santana burst out laughing, head thrown back, dimples on display and causing your gaze to snap up and settle on her as you smiled fondly.

"Um…Dr. Pierce, why are you smiling?"

You lift your head quickly and stare at the teenage boy holding his two year old brother in his lap. You rid the smile from your face, blushing faintly and clear your throat as you get up from the stool and set the red folder on the stool.

"Sorry," you tell him and look at the little boy, smiling at him. He stares up at you with tearful eyes and a runny nose, his mouth open. "Okay, this will be a little uncomfortable." You tell him before lifting your gaze to the brother holding him, "Make sure he doesn't move, okay?"

"W-wait, what are you going to do to him?" he asks quickly in panic as you move to the counter in the small clinic room and open a drawer pulling out tweezers. His eyes widen and he holds his brother's hands in his lap as you move back in front of then and bop the kid's nose.

"Hold still, okay?" you ask gently and the little boy watches you with wide eyes, pulling his head back. You grasp his jaw gently but firmly and lift the tweezers to his nose, carefully extracting the tiny toy cat from his left nostril. He sniffs and you smile widely at him, stepping back and arch a brow at the older brother looking at the cat dumbly. "Next time make sure he doesn't have access to anything small and dangerous." You tell him, handing him the tweezers before grabbing the folder and bidding farewell.

* * *

"Can you put this in the…" You start.

"Hey, Brittany!" you look over your shoulder at Kurt's call and smile as he stops beside you, handing the receptionist another clinic folder, "You say you want to lose control!" he sings and you roll your eyes with a chuckle, the receptionist looking between the two of you in amusement.

"I never said that." You state and grab another folder, looking through it.

"Ah!" Kurt says, taking the folder and shoving it in the hands of another doctor walking passed you. He gives Kurt a confused look as you give him an apologetic smile and go to take it back. "Pierce, you've already completed six clinic hours this week. Space them out! Plus, I need lunch." He says, linking his arm with yours as he leads you out of the clinic.

"Kurt," you say pointedly and he shrugs.

"You already missed lunch, and I know you get grouchy when you don't eat." He says with an arched brow, leading you into the café.

"That's not me. That's Santana."

"Oh, silly me." He smirks and you pin him with a glare. "Anyway, any progress on Operation Brain?"

"Operation brain?" you ask, grabbing a tray as does Kurt. He nods.

"Yeah, we can't call you winning over Santana Operation Lopez or something that people can easily figure out. Operation Brain. It fits." He says with a sly grin.

"But she's a cardiologist." You say slowly and Kurt nods, giving you a wink.

"Exactly. No one will figure it out."

You tip your head in agreement, and smile at the lady behind the counter when she places a BLT sandwich on your plate with some Caesar salad. "Anyway, so, progress report."

"Kurt," you groan, paying the register lady before following Kurt to a table. You stop and send him a disbelieving look. He just smirks and heads over to the booth, bumping into Santana to make her scoot over and give him room.

"Come on, Britt." He says and Santana and Quinn look at you; Quinn smiling and Santana rolling her eyes at Kurt.

You make your way over and Quinn moves closer to the wall to give you room to sit. You place your tray down and slide in, greeting the two women, eyes lingering on the Latina a little longer than necessary.

"So!" you jump at Kurt's exclamation and look at him with wide eyes as he clasps his hands together on the table, a beaming smile on display. "I was thinking of having people over for a fancy dinner this weekend and you three lovey ladies are cordially invited." He tilts his head with a pleasant grin and you look at him while poking your salad. Quinn arches a brow and Santana slows her chewing, pausing from lifting her glass to her lips.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to turn down that wonderful invitation." Santana says before raising her glass and taking a sip. She jolts forwards, bringing her hand up under her chin when Kurt snatches her glass away giving her an incredulous look.

"What do you mean you're turning me down?" He asks with narrowed eyes. Santana glances between you and Quinn before looking back at Kurt and swallowing, wiping her chin with a napkin.

"I simply don't want to go." She says, taking her water back.

"Santana!" Kurt exclaims, holding his hand to his scrub covered chest.

You feel Quinn shift in her seat and turn your head, smiling at her eye roll directed to the two across from you, "Every time someone invites her somewhere she makes a big deal of not going only to mess with the host." She whispers while Santana and Kurt argue back and forth. "They act like they're five." She states, looking at you in amusement.

You chuckle along with her and tilt your head as you continue to watch Kurt and Santana go at it.

"You know what? Fine! Starve this weekend." Kurt says, throwing his hands up and gets up from the booth. You look at him with wide eyes as he grabs his plate of fries and storms off, leaving his tray on the table. Santana rolls her eyes and shifts over, moving his tray underneath hers before pushing both to the side.

"He's such a child." She comments and Quinn barks out a laugh. "What?"

"You're _both_ children." Quinn says, leaning forwards, "We all know you're going to end up going to the dinner so why do you have to be so irritating?"

Santana smirks and you feel the toe of her heel hit your ankle as she crosses her legs, "Because it's fun." She says with a simple shrug before glancing at you. "Although I may not go. I need a break from you idiots." She sighs, running a hand through her hair. Quinn nods skeptically and you poke your fork into your salad, putting the food into your mouth.

"Hey!" you protest when she snatches your fork, taking a bite of the leafy meal. You snatch your fork back and pout, riding it from your face to scowl harmlessly at the Latina. Santana smirks and you stab viciously at the salad, narrowing your eyes at her.

"God, not you too." Quinn shakes her head with a smile. You and Santana look at her and she pats your forearm, "Looks like I adopted another five year old." She says with a teasing glint in her eye. You open your mouth to protest before Santana cuts you off.

"If I'm your child I expect a twenty dollar allowance every week." She says, leaning back with her arms crossed. Quinn just arches a brow and takes out her wallet, tossing a twenty at Santana before nodding for you to let her out. You close your mouth and move out while Santana blinks and stares at the twenty in disbelief.

Santana reaches to take it and Quinn snatches it up, smirking, "As if." Quinn laughs, leaving the café. You and Santana look at each other before you start laughing and she scowls.

"Shut up." She says and you nod, waving your hands in front of you. "Seriously, Pierce."

"You should've saw your face." You snort and she rolls her eyes. You clear your throat to stop laughing and grab your glass, having a drink.

* * *

You walk back into the clinic and grab a folder, heading into one of the rooms. You pause when you walk in and close your mouth.

"My breasts are really tender." The woman says.

You tear your eyes away from her chest and look at her face, your eyes widening at how attractive this woman really was.

"Uh…okay." You mumble and clear your throat looking in the folder, "So, it's just your breasts are tender? Nothing else?" you ask, closing the folder and putting it on the stool before walking over to stand in front of her after grabbing gloves, lifting your hands and looking at her for permission. She nods and you lightly press your fingertips into the side of her left breast, furrowing your brows as you feel for any lumps.

"I've been getting a lot of headaches lately and I have to pee all the time." She rushes out making you glance up at her through your lashes. She smiles at you and you shift to the other breast.

"Alright," you say quietly, stepping back.

She plays with her shirt in her lap and you focus on her stomach, tilting your head to the side.

"Uh…Amy," you say slowly, finding her name in the folder. She looks up at you with a straight back and you smile, holding the folder in front of you, "You're pregnant. Congratulations." You tell her and she furrows her brows, shaking her head.

"No, I can't be. I haven't been with a man for at least three months."

"That would make sense, seeing as how you aren't really showing I'd say you were just coming up to the three month mark. The tender breasts, headaches, frequent urination are all symptoms of pregnancy."

"But you can't be sure just by…"

"You also have a protruding vein in your abdomen." You cut her off and watch her head bow for her to search for the vein. "During pregnancy blood volume increases by about 30%, and in order to carry the blood to the placenta, veins need to expand. It's perfectly normal, just another visual to help determine your pregnancy. I can schedule you for a test if you'd like." You offer and Amy nods once while staring at you in shock.

You nod and glance around before motioning to her chest, "You should probably cover yourself." You say and she blinks, pulling her shirt back on as you leave the room.

You head over to the desk and toss the receptionist the folder, leaning down to rest your arms on the desk, "Can you send someone in to draw blood for a pregnancy test, room 107; thank you."

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it. There will be a lot of Clinic duty you will see throughout the story, because the cases will be spread out; or major cases that you'll actually know are going on. So there will be outside-hospital chapters next. You'll learn more about Brittany too, which is exciting. It's kinda subtle though. I think, maybe not, i don't know. But the next few chapters were my favorites to write, especially not the next, but the one after that :)**

**Hmm, I'm not going to give you a specific day because I don't know myself, but I'm going to aim to update for...Sunday? I'll try and get it up Sunday morning for ya'll.**

**-B**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So here's your update, guys! It's a little on the short side and more leading towards the next chapter which is a longer one. Get to reading, loves!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs/characters in this fic. Characters you don't recognize are my own.**

**-B**

* * *

November, 2014:

You lay flat on the floor after your fiftieth sit up that morning and tilt your head back looking at an upside down Chess staring at you from your living room couch.

"Did I wake you?" you ask playfully and Chess releases his tongue from his mouth, almost smiling at you. You giggle at his cuteness and roll onto your stomach, beginning your set of push up with your hands together, thumbs and index fingers forming a triangle.

It was Saturday and you couldn't be any more thankful for your weekend after a long week of nothing but clinic duty and easy diagnoses. Some would find that quite confusing; shouldn't you be happy you had an easy week? One would assume so. But you didn't take the job hoping for easy, you took it for a challenge, and when you get bored, you get tired; and having to work nine hour weekdays doing nothing but filling out scripts for inflammatory and antibiotic medication makes you restless.

At least on the weekends you can organize your day so you aren't bored and get things done. You're a doer, that's it.

After your thirtieth push up, you slowly lower your body to the ground and raise your body back into a plank to work your core. You hold for the length of Eminem's Bezerk playing in your head before getting to your feet and stretching your arms over your head.

Chess lets out a tiny bark and you drop your arms, grabbing your water from the coffee table and guzzle it down.

You woke up at 8. It was now 9:40 and you could finally shower and get ready for the day after your work out.

* * *

You pull your hair into a messy bun, running your eyes over your face in the bathroom mirror, checking for any mishaps of your makeup, and then leave the bathroom, flicking the light off as you went.

Chess runs into your shin with a toy in his mouth and you quickly scoop him up, kissing his head.

Checklist for the day; grab some coffee, pick up groceries, and go to Kurt's dinner. Those are your three main goals for the day and the past times in between could be anything. You place Chess on the couch in the living room and grab you coat from the back of the suede grey chair your mother gave you for a house warming and slip it on, wrapping your scarf loosely around your neck before grabbing your purse and leaving the cozy apartment.

* * *

The caramel macchiato runs down your throat leaving you to hum happily at the delicious taste as you walk into the grocery store. You grab a cart with your free hand and pull it from the others, turning it and heading straight for the bakery.

You grab a loaf of bread along with a small bag of bagels and carry on to the vegetable and fruits.

You set your coffee in the drink holder attached to the cart and lean forwards, ripping a bag from the stand, putting a bundle of bananas in the bag. You do the same with kiwis, oranges, and apples and tie the apple's bag while lowering it into the cart.

You grab your coffee and take another sip as you maneuver the cart through the aisles, adding a carton of milk, a container of yogurt, a package of steak, and a package of chicken breasts to the cart.

"Okay…" you mumble, tapping your fingers against the coffee as you look at the contents of your cart. You estimate the total and nod to yourself, heading down the aisle to quickly grab another box of your tea before heading to the checkout. You pause when you come towards the pet aisle and can't help but throw a cute blue and yellow squeaky plush ball into the cart.

The man at the register pulls your items through as you get your car out and you smile politely at the younger man at the end bagging.

"Hello, how are you doing today?" the older man asks, smiling as he scans your items.

"I'm doing well, you?" you reply automatically and he grins, nodding; beginning to punch in the total.

"I'm doing alright. Debit?" he asks and you nod, sliding your card into the tiny machine and punch in your pin, pulling it out and tucking it away when 'approved' flashes on the screen. "Do you need any help out to your vehicle?"

"I think I can manage." You chuckle and smile at the young man as you push your cart towards the exit.

After you get everything put away in your trunk you return the cart and slide into the driver seat, starting the engine and check your phone for any missed calls or texts. There's one call from 'Mom', a text from Quinn, and a text from Sam.

**New Message From: Sam Evans**

**Hey, Brittany! I was wondering if you needed a ride to Kurt's tonight. Let me know :) **

You smile faintly and shake your head. _That boy_.

**Message To: Sam Evans**

**Hey, I already got a ride with Mike. Maybe next time, thanks anyway!**

You sigh, knowing you shouldn't give the guy false hope but you're too nice like that. Next you reply to Quinn; her asking the same question. You thank her but decline before dialing your mom's number, and turning the Bluetooth on in the car as yo pull out.

"_Brittany, hello sweetheart_."

"Hi, Mom." You smile, checking both ways before turning onto the main road. "You called me. What's up?"

You hear her hum and slow behind a car at the red light, "_I was thinking of coming out next weekend. What do you think_?" you can only picture her beaming smile and let out a soft chuckle as you are let in front of a car. You wave in thanks and turn.

"That'd be great, Mom. I'd love to see you." The light turns red again and you rest in your seat, letting your head hit the head rest. "Is that all you wanted to say?" you ask with furrowed brows.

"_Pretty much_." She sighs and you tilt your head, "_I wanted to hear your voice_." A sad smile forms on your face and you chew your lip faintly in understanding.

"Have you talked to Dad recently?" you ask quietly, straightening and pushing on the gas.

"_Monday_." She answers and you hum, "_I'm sorry, honey, it's just_…"

"I understand, Mom. You don't have to explain yourself to me." You tell her, parking in the liquor marts lot. "I know how much harder it is around this time." You add, shutting the car off.

"_You're right_." she chuckles and you smile sadly, watching the people enter and leave the building. "_I'll let you go, dear. I'll find a flight for Friday_."

"Email me the arrival confirmation." You say, "Love you."

"_Love you, Brittany_."

You end the call and rest your head back, letting your eyes close lightly.

* * *

You fill Chess's water and food, grabbing your heels from beside you as you stand up. Chess runs to the dishes as you step out of the way and you grab your coat, sliding it on over your dress.

It was almost 6 and Kurt asked everyone to come for half after.

When you got home from purchasing a bottle of wine for the host of tonight's dinner you took Chess for his walk and proceeded to have a small lunch while watching a lame lifetime movie. It wasn't terrible but wasn't worth watching ever again when you're bored. Then you huddled on the couch with Chess snuggled into your side and finished reading the most recent book you've started.

Your phone beeps and you grab it, checking the text and send a reply to Mike letting him know you'll be right out.

You wrap your scarf and button your coat, slipping your feet into the heels before grabbing your clutch and leaving the apartment, locking the door behind you.

You carefully descend the stairs and push the front doors of the building open, smiling when you see Mike in his long trench coat waiting outside the car. You walk up to him and frown with a head tilt.

"You smoke?" you ask and he laughs, flicking the unlit cigarette away.

"God no, a buddy of mine left a pack in my car and I was disposing of them." He explained, pointing to the ground where unlit cigarettes were stomped out on the road. You let out a laugh and he winks, opening the passenger door. You slide in, thanking him, and he runs around to the driver door, sliding inside and pulling into drive. "Your first Hummel gathering. I envy you." He jokes making you laugh and shake your head at him.

* * *

Mike pulls into a large enough parking lot and goes straight for the visitor parking, turning the engine off after pulling in between a red minivan and a silver sports car. You tilt your head and smile once you realize its Noah inside the sports car, and he lifts his head, nodding at you in greeting.

You get out first and wait for Mike and Noah the end of Mike's car. Noah stands beside you, and fixes his collar of his coat and Mike comes over, the car beeping when he pushes a button on his starter. The three of you walk to and into the gorgeous condo building and you shiver involuntarily, following Mike and Noah to the second door on the first floor.

You hold the bottle of wine in your hands and look up from its label when the front door opens and smile widely at Kurt.

"You all came together?" Kurt asks through a chuckle, opening the door wider and motioning for you to come in.

"Mike and I came together." You tell him and he nods, "This is for you." You tell him, holding out the large bottle.

"You didn't have to." He smiles, accepting the gift, "Ou! My favorite too." He cheers happily and you lift your brows, thanking Mike when he helps with your jacket before hanging it in the foyer coat closet. "Everyone's in the dining room."

You hold your clutch at your side and follow behind Kurt, Mike and Noah following you, and smile in greeting to the rest of the crew already sitting and standing at the table.

"And she's here!" Mercedes grins, holding a glass of wine up towards you. You laugh softly and wave, accepting a glass of white wine given to you from Sam. "Damn, girl, you are looking fierce." She says and as you swallow a sip. You chose a form fitting long sleeve navy blue dress and white pumps. Your hair in a long high pony tail, tail straightened. Your makeup was a little more smoky this time around and you had to agree, you did look pretty fierce.

"Oh, thank you, I love your necklace." You tell her, looking at the silver pendant. She nods and lightly clinks your glasses together while a laugh catches your attention.

You flip your ponytail over your shoulder and look towards the sound, your breath catching when you see Santana standing beside Quinn and Rachel in a tight red dress cutting off mid-thigh, the back of the dress open down to the small of her back. Her hair was in perfect bouncy waves and bangs falling forwards as she dips her head, biting her tongue as she laughs. You look at her legs, calves toned and smooth, highlighted by the tall black pumps, and bite your lip.

* * *

**A/N: So a little talk with Brittany's mama. We'll dip a little more into what's going on there in future chapters. Hope you all enjoyed it! ATM I'm writing a chapter that I absolutely love. A lot of Brittana interaction in that one. Shouldn't be to many updates before you get to read it. **

**Next update...I'll say Tuesday or Wednesday. **

**-B**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Update baby!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs/characters in this fic. Characters you don't recognize are my own.**

* * *

November, 2014:

"Brittany!" Quinn calls you over and you snap your gaze up, catching Santana's knowing stare, and excuse yourself from Mercedes now conversing with Kurt and Sebastian.

"Hey." You smile, returning Quinn's one armed hug, keeping your drink from spilling. You hug Rachel as well and turn to Santana, looking at Quinn and Rachel for direction.

"Brittany." Santana says in greeting, lifting her drink with a twitch of her lips. You roll your eyes and shift.

"So, do we know what he's serving?" you question quietly, leaning towards the girls as you whisper. Santana arches a brow while Quinn and Rachel chuckle.

"Probably some overly fancy duck or some shit." Santana says and you look at her appalled.

"Duck?" you ask and she nods slowly, eyeing you.

"You have a problem with duck." She states and you glance towards Kurt laughing with Sebastian as he touches his arm.

"Duck's are my favorite animal, I can't eat one." You tell the three with a pout and Rachel nods in understanding, holding onto Quinn's wrist as she leans towards you.

"Quinn and I brought a vegan dish you can have with us." She whispers and you squint, letting out a small laugh.

"You're drunk?"

"A bit." She says before laughing, resting her head on Quinn's shoulder. You eye the two of them as Quinn shakes her head at the brunette's antics, and then transfer your gaze to Santana, a grimace set firmly in place. "Excuse me for a moment." Rachel says, handing Quinn her glass before kissing the blondes jaw and leaving the room.

You stare at Rachel's departing figure before looking at a sheepish Quinn Fabray.

"You two are dating?" you hiss and Santana snorts a laugh when Quinn shifts. "Oh my god, Quinn! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Never came up."

"How did you not know? They're always making out when we leave the lounge." Santana says and you shake your head.

"I just thought they were hammered." You breathe in disbelief, "Wow, I can't believe I didn't figure it out. Four weeks."

"In your defense you haven't seen us together besides at the lounge, and even then it's only been about five times." Quinn says while you tilt your head back, drinking. "Anyway, no more about Rach and I. Let's talk about who you dressed up for." You narrow your eyes at her and she grins knowingly, spinning to face Santana. Your eyes widen. _She knows too?!_ "So."

"I'm not playing your games, Fabray." Santana says, rolling her eyes as she walks passed you. She stops short and you look at her from your wine glass as she runs her eyes down your body from beside you. "Although this is a nice dress." She nods, dropping her hand to lightly hold the wrist of your empty hand. You swallow, watching her eyes lift from the fabric as she grins slyly, "Soft." she adds before leaving.

* * *

"You _so_ have a thing for Santana!" Quinn squeals quietly, pulling you farther from the entire group.

"_Shh_!" you hush quickly, glancing back towards them with wide eyes, "And no, I don't."

"Bullshit. I saw the way you looked at her." She grinned with excitement. You shake your head going to argue but she pinches your arm making you yelp. "Do not lie to me, Brittany."

"Fine." You huff, glancing around, "I may have a bit of a crush on Santana but you _can't_ _tell_ _anyone_! Well, I mean Kurt knows but…I don't want _her_ or the others to find out and this affect our professional relationship." You say quickly and quietly, begging her to keep quiet with your eyes. She nods in agreement and you let out a relieved breath. "Thank you."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing!" you groan, "Why do you people think I'm going to make a move? I don't _want_ to be crushing on a coworker. It makes things difficult."

"Not if she feels the same way."

You give Quinn a pointed look and she shrugs, "Please just…forget about it."

"Fine."

"And you can't tell Rachel either."

"I won't…"

"Quinn." You say firmly and she huffs.

"Okay! I swear on Rachel's life I will not tell her you're into Santana."

"Who's into Santana?" Rachel asks appearing beside you and Quinn. You look at Quinn incredulously and she winces, looking at Rachel.

"Who's into Santana?" she repeats with a tilt of her head.

"What?" Rachel asks in confusion.

"What?" you say quickly and she furrows her brows deeply, shaking her head.

"Uh…I'm confused."

"Oh look the food!" you squeak, retreating to the dinner table with Quinn leading her girlfriend after you.

* * *

"Okay, okay, to be fair she was beyond gone." Noah grins widely, lifting his glass to his lips as everyone around the table laughs at his story. You were all situated around Kurt's long rectangular dining table. Kurt and Noah at the heads of the tables. To Noah's left was Sebastian, then you, Mike, Mercedes, and then Kurt. Continuing, on Kurt's left was Rachel, Quinn, Santana, and then Sam who then had Noah next to him.

Your cheeks hurt from smiling too widely as you lift another forkful of Rachel's tofu, pasta dish to your lips. Kurt had apologized multiple times after learning you didn't eat duck and you let him know repeatedly it wasn't his fault for he didn't know in the first place. The vegan dish was actually pretty good despite the tofu.

Santana scowls at her cousin while pouring herself another glass of wine, "You know what, I ain't even ashamed." She declares with lifted brow and a careless shrug while putting the bottle back in the middle of the table, "At least I have more than one exciting story to tell whereas your younger years are about as exciting as paint drying." She smirks and you hold your hand over your mouth to keep from spitting out your food when you laugh. Dark eyes shift their gaze to you and your amused smile turns bashful as you drop your hand and reach for your glass. You were sitting directly across from her which gave you the perfect view of her brilliant smile when she laughed.

Santana clears her throat, wetting her lips, and arches a challenging brow at Noah.

"I have stories!"

"Yeah and how many of them include me?" she smirks. Noah huffs and runs a hand over his head, shaking it at his younger cousin before cutting another piece off his meat. "S'what I thought."

"Alright, someone else, Brittany!" Kurt beams as you snap your head up with wide eyes, "Any particularly funny yet humiliating stories you'd care to share with the group?" he asks with a playful glint in his eye.

You narrow your own at him and glance around the table before lifting a shoulder, "I'm afraid I don't have as exciting life as Santana." You say, looking at the Latina through your lashes.

"No, Hummel's right," Santana smirks. You lift your brows when you feel her kick your foot gently, guessing she's crossing her legs under the table, and shift in your seat, "You're the new kid in the school, and we don't know nearly as much about you as you do the rest of us. Spill." She rests her elbows on the edge of the table, clasping her hands beneath her chin as she arches an expectant brow at you.

"No, really, there isn't…" you try when Mike nudges you from your left.

"Come on." He grins, nodding.

You sigh heavily and Rachel is the first to whoop and cheer, getting the rest of the table, bar Santana, to join in. The Latina just rolls her eyes after looking around at the idiots she calls friends, and takes a drink.

"Fine." You throw your hands up and drop them to your lap before reaching for your glass again, "Um…okay. It was my first year in university and I met this guy, Robert, although everyone called him Chase. He was in the majority of my science classes so we became friends pretty quickly. Anyway, I was never really one to go to a lot of parties but he was so he dragged me to this party at one of the dorms." You tell, everyone leaning into the table as they listen, "It was insane. The floor was packed. Every room was open and blasting their own music and the hall was full of students dancing and making out…"

"All that good stuff." Noah winks and you roll your eyes along with Santana as the others chuckle and hush him.

"Anyway, we went into this one room started dancing and drinking, all that, and it didn't take long for me to get hammered." You chuckle in embarrassment, "Long story short, I woke up on a bench in the campus park, hugging one of those blow up dolls, in nothing but my underwear." You finish in a mumble, cheeks burning bright red as the table erupts into fits of laughter. You shrink in your seat, glancing around at everyone and your eyes land lastly on Santana biting her lip to keep from laughing as she studies you with an amused glint in her eye.

"Oh my god, that's priceless!" Noah laughs, leaning back in his chair at the head of the table.

"Please tell me there are pictures?" Mercedes giggles, ripping out her phone. "You went to Duke, right?"

You groan and hide your face behind your hands, leaning away from Mike and smile faintly when Sebastian pats your shoulder.

"Oh my god, Brittany, you look so cute!" Mercedes squeals and you drop your hands, eyes wide.

"You actually found a picture?" you squeak, reaching across Mike for the phone. Mercedes laughs and pulls it out of your reach, showing the picture to Kurt.

"Brittany!" he laughs, holding his hand over his mouth as you get up. He hands squeaks and thrusts the phone into Rachel's hands as you circle the table to her, and she pushes it to Quinn who gives it to Santana.

"Quinn!" you exclaim, stopping behind her and stare at Santana with wide eyes.

She arches a brow at you with a smirk and looks at Noah telling her to pass it along so the rest could see, and looks at the picture, letting out a soft chuckle before handing you the phone.

The table lets out groans and you wince at the picture and how embarrassing it is, before closing the window and glare at Mercedes.

"Girl, as if you just did that." She says to Santana as you go back to your seat with a huff.

"Would you want Puckerman and the idiots to perv on a picture of you half naked?" she asks with a sly grin. Mercedes snatches her phone from you and you narrow your eyes at her before looking at Santana.

"Thank you." You say pointedly before giving looks to those who actually saw the picture.

Santana nods and looks at her plate, "I knew you were fond of ducks but on your panties?" she comments with a smirk, glancing up at you through her lashes. Your face blanches and the boys erupt into laughter as Kurt and the girls snicker.

* * *

**A/N: Next update...hmmm, Friday or Saturday.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys! Glad you're all enjoying this story so far. More Brittana in this chapter. A lot more actually. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs/characters in this fic. Characters you don't recognize are my own. **

**-B**

* * *

November, 2014:

"Another amazing night by Kurt Hummel." Mercedes sighs as she pulls her coat on in Kurt's foyer. It was already close to eleven and a few of the group needed to get up bright an early for an unlucky Sunday morning shift. Thankfully, you were not part of that group, although Quinn, Rachel, Sam and Sebastian were and so those were the ones leaving; as well as Noah who had some head of department business to attend to.

You give hugs to those leaving, going to be staying to hang out with the remaining of the crew for a while longer, and step back so Kurt can say his goodbyes.

"It was lovely having you." He sighs, letting go of Quinn. She smiles sweetly at him and takes her scarf from Rachel with a thank you. "We'll have to do this again, sometime soon."

"God, always acting as if he doesn't see us at work every day." Santana mumbles into her glass of wine. You look at her beside you and shrug with your arms around you.

"I think it's sweet." You say and Santana snorts, turning.

"You would." She says before waving her hand at those leaving, "Later, losers." She calls before heading to the living room. You roll your eyes and send everyone a smile and a wave as they walk out the door before rubbing your arms and following after Santana.

You see Mike standing near the muted TV talking on his phone in a hushed voice and stand beside the couch Santana is currently sitting on; Finn laying on the other passed out. You shake your head at the man and sit on the arm of the couch.

Santana eyes you with an arched brow as your cross your legs, and you do a double take, smiling faintly at her, "What?"

"Nothing." She says with a shrug, looking at Kurt as he walks into the living room with a bottle of vodka. He holds it up with a sly grin and you groan. "This is the Hummel I'm so fond of." She grins, downing the rest of her wine before holding her glass out for Kurt to pour.

Kurt laughs and Mike looks over with a curious look, shaking his head in amusement when he sees Kurt pouring for Santana. You shake your head at him with wide eyes and he shrugs with a smile going back to his phone.

"Britt, you want some?"

"I'm…" you begin to decline when Santana scoffs.

"Don't be lame, Pierce, we don't work tomorrow." She says and you drop your shoulders, giving her a pointed look. Santana slowly smirks and holds her glass out to you. "You know you want to."

You let your gaze drop down and linger for a moment on her lips before lifting to her dark gorgeous eyes and sigh, looking at Kurt.

"One drink." You tell him and he cheers as Santana licks her lips, smirking while taking a drink. Kurt hurries to the kitchen to grab a few glasses and returns, pouring yours and handing it to you before swatting at Finn's head and making him get up. He hands Finn a drink and the tall man grimaces as he takes a drink.

"Hey, Brittany, I have to head out." Mike says regretfully. You swallow the liquid with a scrunched nose and lower the glass. "My father locked him and my mother out of their car and their stuck at the theater." He admits with a chuckle. "Are you okay to leave now?"

"Aw, Brittany, you have to stay." Kurt frowns, "Everyone else left and this is when the real fun starts. Plus you haven't finished your drink." He points out and you frown, looking down at the clear liquid and then back up at Mike.

"Um….the theaters the opposite way of my place so…It's okay, I'll just cab home."

"You can cab with Santana!" Kurt suddenly exclaims and Santana begins to choke on her drink.

You place a concerned hand on her back and yank it back when you feel her soft skin, "S-she can w-what?" Santana gasps for air, holding her hand to her chest before clearing her throat and setting a glare on Kurt.

"You're cabbing anyway, and you live like ten minutes from the hospital, Brittany is on the way. You can split the fare and neither of you have to leave alone, it's a win-win." He beams, wiggling his brows. Both you and Santana glare at him, neither noticing the other trying to kill him with your eyes, and he just looks at Mike and stands up. "Thanks for coming, Mike." He hugs him and looks at Finn with a huff, "Would you mind helping me get this idiot to the guest room upstairs?"

Mike looks at the passed out man and laughs, nodding while clapping Kurt on the back. You take another drink, grimacing at the burn, watching Kurt and Mike help Finn out of the living room and up the stairs.

"I can just get my own cab." You tell Santana unsurely.

She glances at you and arches a brow, running a hand through her long dark waves, "What, don't want to be alone with me?" she asks with a tilt of her head, "Scared I'll bite?" she smirks knowingly.

You blush and clear your throat, smoothly getting to your feet and walk over to the fireplace, looking at the pictures on the mantle. You hear Santana's quiet chuckle and glance over your shoulder, your eyes locking onto hers. She smirks around the rim of her glass and licks her lips, slowly blinking and turning her attention to Kurt when he comes back into the room.

* * *

"God damn it, Hummel!" Santana slurs angrily as she and Kurt try to get your coat on while keeping you on your feet. You giggle and your head falls back, hitting Santana's forehead. She growls and you burst out laughing, stumbling forwards. Kurt catches you around the waist and then you feel Santana slip her arm around your waist from behind. "Let her cab with me, completely shit faced. Brilliant fucking idea!"

"Shut up, my head's killing me." Kurt mumbles, opening his front door, "Chastise me on Monday." He says as Santana pulls your arm over her shoulder. You stumble and she almost collapses under your weight, cursing under her breath about 'fucking heels'.

"You so owe me." She grumbles as he closes the door on you both.

You drop your head against the side of Santana's and she huffs, helping you out to the cab waiting at the curb. You blink and your eyes follow the cabbie get out and round the vehicle to open the door for you.

"Thanss so much." You slur with a smile, tripping over your feet and catching yourself on the cab.

"I don't take drunks." The man mumbles with a heavy accent and you hear Santana harshly whisper something to him before she's helping you get in the back. You let your head fall back against the head rest of the seat and wince when the back door slams closed before you feel Santana lean over and put your seatbelt on. You open your eyes and blink lazily at her with a drunk smile.

She grumbles under her breath while struggling with the seat belt and blows her bangs out of her face, flipping her hair before pausing and looking up at you. "Trouble?" You whisper with an arched brow and she rolls her eyes, clicking the belt into place.

"I'm too drunk to take care of someone." She sighs heavily, clicking herself into the seat.

"Oh no! Two drunks?! No vomiting back there or you pay for the cleaning!"

"Move the damn car!" Santana snaps, leaning forwards. "Oh fuck." She pauses and looks back at you. You open your eyes wider and she pulls your scarf further from your mouth, "What's your address?"

You stare blankly at her and she blinks at you. "Fuck me." She groans, ripping out her cell phone and calling Kurt. "What's Brittany's address?" she barks and you burst into a fit of giggles making her do a double take at you while the driver looks at you in the mirror like you're crazy. You see him touch the hanging cross around his review mirror and snort another laugh, leaning to the side.

"Oh…" you draw out, unable to catch yourself before you land on Santana's lap.

She tenses and you just lay there, your eyes fluttering shut.

"Jesus Christ…" she mutters under her breath before telling the driver your address. The car jerks forwards and Santana's hand drops to your shoulder before getting you up right. "Don't lay down." She tells you firmly and you swallow. Her eyes widen as you part your lips, your mouth beginning to salivate, and she curses. "Stop the fucking car!" she shouts and all but kicks the door open when he pulls over.

* * *

You keep your eyes closed as you lean your head on Santana's shoulder, holding onto her as she helps you up to the building front doors after telling the cab to wait for her to get you settled. You flutter your eyes open when she takes your purse, managing to locate your keys and open the door while keeping you from falling to the ground, and huffs as she pushes the door open with her back, and walks you inside.

"Okay," she breathes out, "What number?"

"3B." you mumble before letting out a laugh, "Like the movies." You giggle, holding your arm over her shoulders and nuzzle against her shoulder.

"Lord, help me."

You turn your head into the crook of her neck and giggle again, humming tiredly as you wait for the elevator. Oh. The elevator.

"It's broken." You whisper and Santana tenses when your breath hits her neck. Her arm tightens around you and she clears her throat.

"What?"

"We need stairs." You mumble through a yawn and Santana groans loudly making you wince. You tighten your eye shut and take a calming breath to push back the urge to upchuck again when Santana sighs heavily and leads you to the stairs.

You don't know how long it takes for her to get you up the fourteen stairs but you might have some bruises on your shins and shoulders from bumping into the walls and kicking the stairs accidentally. You flutter your eyes open, and stare at the big '3B' on your door as Santana huffs while trying to get the key in the hole. You watch her, her bottom lip between her teeth as she narrows her eyes at the lock, and wet your lips. You were so close to her. And she melt amazing; like warm vanilla and cinnamon.

"Ah hah!" she grins widely when the lock clicks and looks at you, her smile faltering slowly as she furrows her brows, looking between your glossy eyes. "Uh, come on." She says and pushes the door open with her foot. You stumble inside with her and she closes the door with her foot before managing to get you over to the closest seat.

You gracelessly drop onto the couch and Santana catches herself, her hand on the back of the couch and knee on the cushion between your legs. You close your eyes as you lean your head back and Santana clears her throat getting up.

"Okay." She sighs and you open your eyes slowly, "You need some water." She says before looking around with wide panicked eyes when barking comes from your room. You smile and look towards your room seeing Chess come galloping into the living room, and look at Santana when she mumbles and backs up a few steps, flinching when Chess starts barking at her in a defensive stance. "Y-you have a dog."

You hum watching her jump at a particular bark, and she looks at you with a frightened gaze, "You're scared?" you ask with a frown and she scoffs, flinching again.

"A bit." She admits, "Call him off." She says and you fall forwards, catching yourself before you end up face first on the ground and get to your feet, wobbly. You go to the balcony and Chess follows, stepping outside when you open the door. Santana lets out a breath and you bend, pulling off your heels.

You look back at her and give her a smile drunkenly, and head over. She brushes her hair behind her ear, watching you as you get closer, and wets her lips.

"Let him in when he barks please." You manage and head to your room.

"But I…damn it." You hear and smile, not bothering to close your door as you unzip your dress and let it slide off your body leaving you in your thong and lace bra. You kick the dress aside and drop the heels on the floor before stumbling to your dresser to retrieve an old button up to sleep in. You pull your hair out of your ponytail and slide your arms into the sleeves while heading to the bathroom.

You look back towards Santana standing where you left her as you turn the light on and squint at the blinding light, quickly removing the makeup from your face. You shut the light off and step out of the bathroom when Chess barks. Santana hasn't moved to let him in and you pout.

She looks at you when you come back into the open living area and her lips part as she runs her eyes over your body. You run your hand through your hair and slide the door open or the puppy, shushing him when he begins to bark at Santana once more.

"Thanks for…ya know." You chuckle, more sober than you were ten minutes ago, still with a drunk smile. Santana swallows and lifts her eyes from your half naked body and lets out a shaky breath, nodding.

"Y-yeah, no problem." She nods, crossing her arms. You watch her for a moment, her eyes glancing to and from you repeatedly, and smile suggestively when her darkened eyes lift to meet yours.

You tilt your head as you slowly take a few steps around the couch towards her, and her arms slowly uncross, dropping to her sides. "Okay, I should…"

You hum and wrap your arms around her neck, kissing her wantonly.

Santana immediately reciprocates the kiss, hands flying to your exposed body, and running over your smooth skin while you push your tongue into her mouth. She moans and her hands move around and down to your ass, pulling your closer to her and squeezing. You undo the small tie around her neck and pull her dress down until it's around her waist before she gets rid of it completely.

You break the kiss and stare at her lust filled eyes, your gaze dropping to her breasts held up by a black push up bra, and lick your lips, grabbing her hand and dragging her into the bedroom, closing it before Chess can run in after you.

* * *

**A/N: Soooo? What's you guys think lol? Hit me up!**

**-B**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey, loves! Hope you all had an amazing Christmas yesterday, for those of you who celebrate, and those of you who celebrate another holiday, Happy Holidays to you and your family! A lot of you liked the last chapter, lol, which I thought you might. ;) Here's the next installment!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs/characters in this fic. Characters you don't recognize are my own. **

**-B**

* * *

November, 2014:

You quicken your strides when you get closer to the office, seeing the rest of the team already sitting around the table with a file open in front of Mike. Actually…you frown and search for Noah, noticing his absence and tilt your head at the Dean of Medicine, Dr. Schuester, standing at the front of the table, hands in his suit pockets as he speaks.

You take your wool headband from your head after pulling off your gloves and tuck both into your pockets as you open the door.

All eyes shift to you and you slow to a stop, smiling apologetically at your boss when he gives you a smile with a questioning brow lift.

"I haven't gotten my winter tires yet, I had to drive carefully." You mumble and Schuester chuckles, motioning for you to take a seat. You quickly exchange your coat for your lab coat and take the closest seat, which happened to be beside Santana. You glance at her, fixing your coat, and she glances at you before turning her attention back to Schuester. You keep your expression from shifting into one of disappointment and smile at Mike when he slides the file over.

Marcus Tyson, you read, twenty-three, started to convulse with shock-like pain at a graduation party.

"Well he had been drinking…" Mike says obviously and Santana snorts beside you as you scan your eyes over the remainder of the file.

"No shit, Chang."

"Alright, Lopez, please." Dr. Schuester says politely, giving her a warningly look. Santana lifts her hands in defense as Mike shakes his head. "I need to know if you three can handle this case without Noah." He sighs, running a hand through his gelled curls. You snap your head up and look at all three of them.

"Schue, we've done it before." Santana says with a bored expression. You watch him eye her carefully before he looks to Mike pointedly, nodding his head before leaving the office. A moment goes by where you just look back and forth between Santana and Mike before Mike gets up and moves to the whiteboard, writing down 'convulsions' and clicking the cap of the marker back into place.

"Okay, I was thinking sclerosis but we need an MRI to be sure." Mike breathes, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks at you and Santana, "Let's run the initial base tests and get medical history before we start coming up with any diagnoses." Mike says and you furrow your brows, looking at Santana.

"Wait…" you say slowly when she gets up. Both look at you, Santana with an arched brow, and you hold your hands out, "Where's Noah?"

Mike looks to Santana and she shifts, "We went to this new restaurant and the food didn't sit well with him." She smirks as Mike tries to hide his amusement. You frown and nod slowly.

"So it's just us." You state and they nod, "Why do you get to be in charge?" you ask suddenly, looking at Mike. He lifts his brows in surprise before straightening and shrugging.

"Whenever Puck isn't here, I always take over."

"And you're okay with that?" you ask Santana, looking at her next. She sighs heavily and gives a careless shrug. "Doesn't that bug you? I mean, you're his family…"

"Look, I know I can take over the department if I really wanted to, I'm a genius like that," she smirks as you and Mike roll your eyes, "But then any mistake we make would be my responsibility. I don't need Schuester and the board breathing down my neck. Also, if I was head, I'd have to be nicer to the patients, even when they're complete idiots."

You tilt your head and she continues, "This way," she says loudly, tucking her hands into her lab coat pockets, "I can carry on as usual, with more leeway than I have with Puck."

"Uh, actually…" Mike begins only to have Santana lift a hand, silencing him.

"Quiet, Chang, you know it's true." Mike's shoulders drop and you hold back a chuckle. Santana grins proudly, lifting her brows at Mike when he goes to protest once again, before looking at you and leaving the room.

"Go with her." He nods and you tense. He pauses from leaving the room and arches a questioning brow before calling your name and nodding after Santana.

"Right." You mumble and get up.

* * *

"So, big party?" you ask Marcus as he lays in bed, staring up at the ceiling as Santana continues to draw blood into small vials. He was a decently attractive young man, well defined jaw, dark eyes, and a kind smile you received when you introduced yourself while walking in after Santana got things in order.

Marcus chuckles faintly, glancing at Santana and then you before nodding and letting out a sigh.

Santana hands you the newest vial of blood without looking back at you and you put a stopper in it, placing it carefully in the vial rack, handing over the last empty vial. She grunts her thanks and goes to filling this one as you watch from over her shoulder.

"It was pretty fun up until my spaz attack." He grumbles and you frown sympathetically. "Do you guys have any idea yet?" he asks, looking back at you. You accept the last vial from Santana, putting it's stopper in and look at the young man, shaking your head. "Figured. How could you know? You haven't run any tests yet."

"How do you know we haven't?" you tease with a grin, Santana standing a few steps beside you. She looks up from filling out Marcus's paperwork and rolls her eyes at you as Marcus smiles.

"You're just now taking blood samples."

Your lips form an 'O' and your cheeks tint due to embarrassment, "Right…" you nod slowly, chuckling at yourself. Marcus joins in and you three shift your gazes to the door when his father comes in with a worried look.

"Mr. Tyson, Dr. Lopez. This is Dr. Pierce. We're working on your son's case." Santana states, holding her hand out to shake his. He accepts and gives her a quick smile before looking at you and nodding in recognition before going to his son's bedside. "We've just drawn some blood for testing and we should have more of an idea as to what caused your son to start convulsing." She tells him, gently touching his shoulder.

He pulls his gaze slowly from his boy and nods thankfully at her, "Thank you. Do you know anything at all as of now?" he asks, looking back at Marcus, squeezing the boys shoulder like any father would his son. Marcus gives him a tight smile in return and you glance from them to the vials and put the lid of the case on before cleaning up a few things on the cart.

"We don't have anything at the moment, but as soon as we do, you'll know." She nods before offering a smile and looking to you. You take in a sharp breath before following her out of the room with the cart, and slide the door closed softly behind you. You stop beside her, taking the file from her hands when her cell rings, and flip through the pages, checking what she had written in the room as she answers.

You look up when she sighs and place the file and the case on the reception desk on the floor, waving over Sam to deal with the cart. He grins widely and nods to whatever another nurse was saying before coming over when Santana starts speaking.

"Mike said to go on down to the lab and start testing, and he'll head into the patients room in ten minutes to get the family history before starting the MRI." She says, trailing off when Sam comes from behind her, beaming at you.

"Hey, Brittany!" he greets happily.

"Morning, Sam." You smile politely.

He nods, looking over you quickly before doing a double take at Santana and shifting with a twitch of his lips, "Hey, Santana."

"Lipsy." She says plainly with narrowed eyes. Sam chuckles and looks back at you, making Santana narrow her eyes further. You smile inwardly and straighten a bit.

"What can I do for ya?" Sam asks, holding his hands in the pockets of his scrubs. You tap the handle of the cart with a grin and he slaps his forehead, nodding quickly. "Right!" he laughs, brushing his hair from his face. "So how's your patient doing so far?" he asks, wetting his lips.

You glance at Santana, speaking to the receptionist while occasionally glancing towards you and Sam, and grin, "He's doing pretty well from what we can see. We're going to be running some tests for him."

"Nice, sounds pretty…"

"Boring." Santana cuts him off sharply, her hands in her lab coat pockets, with her eyes narrowed into a glare, "Pierce called you over to do your job and deal with the cart so we can go do _our_ more important jobs. I don't care if you're part of the _crew_, I will step on you if you annoy me, and right now…you're annoying me. So get a move on it, Trouty." She hisses and Sam clears his throat while straightening his back and muttering an excuse me to you. You step back, looking between Sam and Santana with a frown, and watch him leave before looking at Santana in disbelief and cross your arms.

"Why were you so mean to him?" you ask harshly and Santana rolls her eyes, grabbing the case and file before heading towards the elevators. You huff and hurry after her, facing her when the elevator doors close behind you. "Well?"

"I don't have time for you and Evans to make goo-goo eyes all day. We have a job to do. A patient to take care of." She says, staring at the elevator doors.

"Bullshit, Santana, you were just jealous that he likes me."

She barks out a laugh, glancing at you while shaking her head, "Please, like I'd ever be jealous of you."

"Not me." You say and her laughing subsides slowly. She stares at you before scoffing and shaking her head, waiting for the doors to open before stepping out and going for the lab. You walk behind her and pull the door open, holding it for her before following her in.

* * *

You glance up and through the shelving unit in the middle of the lab testing table and at Santana using another microscope, and huff for the umpteenth time.

"What?" she growls.

"You didn't answer my question." You tell her, watching her. She keeps her focus and doesn't flinch making you more frustrated. "Santana." You say in annoyance.

"You didn't ask me a question." She says after taking a calming breath, glancing up at you from the microscope. You give her a pointed look and she gives you one back, "It wasn't a question."

"Whatever!" you shrug, "My point is, I made an observation and brought it up and you didn't deny it. Which means you were jealous of Sam and like me. It's okay," you shrug with a sweet smile, "I'm very likeable."

Santana tilts her head, listening to you before smiling faintly and looking down before lifting her head and shaking it, "As interesting at your theory is…its complete shit. And I'll explain to you exactly why." She says, tilting her head at you as you look at each other through the space in the shelf. "First of all, I am not, nor have I ever been jealous of Trouty Mouth. I'm superior to him in every possible way and if I wanted you, I'd have you."

"But you don't have me." You tell her with a smirk and she blinks slowly.

"Which brings me to point number two; I don't want you. I could care less if you establish any type of relationship with Evans, just don't let him suck your face anywhere near me because I've seen it before and I had nightmares for weeks. If he tried hard enough he could suck a baby's head." She deadpans and you scrunch your nose at the unpleasant thought. "I'm assuming you mistook my annoyance for the moron as jealously, but let me fill you in on a little not so secret, secret." She leans forwards as her volume gets lower, "I just don't like the kid. He's an egocentric idiot, who thinks everyone loves him because he has a decent jawline when he doesn't look like a constipated baby, and has okay abs." she shrugs, leaning back.

You furrow your brows while biting your bottom lip and glance back up at her.

"Also, I'm pretty certain the only reason you brought Evans up in the first place was because you want to talk about what happened this weekend." She sighs, going back to the microscope as you blink.

You feel your cheeks start to burn and stutter for something to say before shaking your head and furrowing your brows, "Kinda."

"There's nothing to talk about." She says slowly, adjusting the magnifying intensity.

"Santana, we…" you begin loudly, the Latina glancing up at you with an arched brow while you quickly glance around, leaning to the side to make sure no one was coming towards the lab. When you see nobody you look back at her and lean forwards, "We slept together!" you hiss quietly and Santana nods slowly.

"We did."

You stare at her blankly and she shrugs.

"Thrice actually." She dips her head to the side and you blush faintly. "We obviously find each other attractive and there was some thick sexual tension between us, but now we can forget about it and get back to actually doing our jobs." She says simply, tugging the corner of her lips to the side.

"That's it?" you ask in disbelief, not wanting to admit how much that actually hurt.

Santana nods, looking back at the microscope, "That's it." She pauses and glances at you through her lashes, watching you, "Unless there's more to it on your part." She suggests carefully and you look at her and clear your throat before shaking your head.

"N-no, just wanted to make sure we were on the same page." You lie quietly, staring into her eyes. She holds your gaze momentarily before her lips curve upwards into an amused smile.

"Great."

"Yup." You say quickly after as he returns to work, dropping your shoulders in defeat, "Just great." You mumble quietly.

* * *

**A/N: Hah, haaaah, what'd you think? I'm kinda digging Santana's calm cool demeanor during the conversation if I do say so myself. :) I'm getting a little busy as of late, next term is starting and requires prep on my part so updates may not be every 3 or so days. I'm going to aim to update next on Wednesday and then the week after I'm going to aim more for every Thursday or Friday. **

**-B**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey guys! So let's get right to it, next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any songs or characters in this fic. Any characters you don't recognize are my own. Also medical portion of fic** **is from specific episodes of House, M.D. I aint got no degree.**

**-B**

* * *

November, 2014:

You lean forwards at the tall counter and rest your chin in your hand as you stare at one of the monitors.

It had been a few hours spent in this room with Santana alone, testing Marcus's blood. The only time you left the room was to use the restroom about half an hour ago. It was beyond boring. The kid looked completely healthy.

"Hey," Mike says as he comes into the lab, "How the testing going?"

You look at him with a short smile before turning back to the screen, "It's not." Santana huffs.

"There's nothing. No mutations, abnormalities…He's about as healthy as he can be." You inform him, turning on the stool to face your temporary boss.

Mike nods slowly while walking in further to stand beside Santana still positioned at the microscopes, and hits a button on the monitor keyboard beside her, showing the image from the scope on the screen. You slowly stand up and move over to stand beside Mike, behind Santana, and tilt your head as you look at the screen.

"White count seems a little low…" you say thoughtfully and Santana nods, hitting a button before getting up and going to the printer in the room. You and Mike continue to study the monitor when Santana comes over to you and hands you the paper. You look at it, and Mike leans closer to do the same. "White blood cell count is low." You state.

"Why didn't you just tell us that sooner?" Mike sighs at Santana. She arches a brow at him, sitting back on the stool in front of you, spinning to face you both while you two stare down at her.

"I don't respond well to people rushing me." She states with a grin at Mike, "You should know that."

Mike rolls his eyes and you hand him the paper for him to put in the original file, "Marcus's medical history, and family's medical history is clear. No genetic diseases or anything."

"This is his first attack?" you ask and Mike nods.

"Said as much."

"He could be lying." Santana states and you shake your head at her while Mike folds his arms, "What? We all know that everybody lies." She holds her hands out, shrugging and you give her an arched brow. She rolls her eyes, "Not always but everyone does it. What's stopping him from lying to us about anything? Even his father."

"Why would his father lie when it comes to his son's health?" You ask in annoyance and Santana narrows her eyes at you. "If someone I cared about was in the hospital I wouldn't lie. I'd want them to get better as soon as possible, and that means cooperating with the doctors."

"Damn, too bad there aren't more people like you, Pierce." Santana breathes with a smile. You glare at her and she cracks a smirk before Mike begins.

"I hate to admit it but Santana may have a point."

"What!" you exclaim in disbelief while Santana grins victoriously, crossing her legs. "Unbelievable."

"I know, but there are people who will keep things to themselves, not necessarily lie, but are ashamed of something and don't think what they're hiding is relevant." He explains to you while you shake your head slowly, looking past him. "Anyway, let's head up to the office." He says and you follow him out, Santana following.

* * *

"You didn't tell us the MRI results." You realize as you sit at the table. Mike nods and stands by the whiteboard while Santana lifts herself to sit at the edge of the office table next to you. She grins knowingly at you and you huff, looking away from her and to Mike.

"His MRI rules out sclerosis." He sighs, looking down at the original file while you open the single copy, Santana looking down at your file. "This case is a mystery to me."

"A mystery even the great Michael Chang cannot figure out? My, this must be quite the complex case."

You look to the door and smile at Sebastian as he grins at the three of you while walking over to the table.

"What are you doing here?" Santana chuckles as Sebastian motions for Mike's file. He hands it over, running a hand through his hair and Sebastian starts scanning through the papers.

"I just finished a surgery on a jerk of a teenager. He had the worse mouth on him I've ever heard. Worse than you, Lopez." He says, squinting while reading.

You snort and Santana casts you a short glare.

"His mother died in a car accident?" Sebastian asks, glancing around at the three of you. After you all nod he hums, "Have you considered anything genetic?"

"I doubt this is a genetic component." Mike says as you tilt your head, listening to them both. "His father has a clean bill of…"

"No, Seb's talking about the mother…" Santana says slowly, leaning closer to you to look in the file. You tense and look at her as she flips through the pages, coming to family history. You swallow, holding back from inhaling her vanilla scent, and wet your lips. "You're thinking what?" she asks Sebastian, glancing at you while she waits for his reply.

"Type 2 neurofibromatosis." He says and you and Santana both look at him in surprise.

"I don't think…" Mike shakes his head when you put your hand out to stop him.

"Wait, think about it." You say, gaining everyone's attention, "The police report said she veered off a straight, dry road in broad daylight." You recall, shrugging, "Maybe Sebastian's right."

"No," Mike shakes his head firmly, holding his hands out, "She was probably just changing the radio station."

"That's what the police thought." Sebastian says, coming from the small desk area in the room with two papers in his hand, handing one to Mike and one to Santana who holds it for you to see also, "They didn't seem to know she had a family member with a history of frequent incapacitating shock like sensations."

"And NF2 explains his symptoms." You say in amazement as you look at Sebastian, "I thought you were a radiologist."

"I am." He grins and you shake your head at him with a smile.

"It's only a theory." Mike says and Santana scoffs.

"Chang, it's all we have."

"Fine." He clenches his jaw, "Get a DNA analysis on the long arm of chromosome 22."

You and Santana nod and get up, leaving the room to do as instructed, missing the way Mike narrows his eyes at Sebastian while the radiologist follows you out.

"Have fun, ladies." He says with a smile, heading to his own destination.

* * *

You smile as you and Santana walk into the room with Santana carrying a kit and Mr. Tyson quickly gets up from his chair at his sons side as Marcus slowly blinks his eyes open.

"How are you doing?" you ask gently as you stand by his bedside.

"As well as I can be." He chuckles lightly. You nod in understanding as Santana gets the kit ready and look at Mr. Tyson.

"Do you have something?" he asks, and you nod.

"We believe you have NF2. Type 2 neurofibromatosis. It's an inherited disease." You say. "It can cause abnormal growths on your cranial nerves which explains your shocks as well as other symptoms." You say as Santana hands you a swab. You demonstrate opening your mouth and Marcus obeys, letting you gently swab the inside of his cheek.

"We're doing a DNA Analysis which will show if your son has the specific chromosome mutation which causes the symptoms." Santana adds while you carefully insert the swab into a tube and place a cap on, handing it back to Santana. "We should have results soon enough." She says with a small smile before you and she begin to pack up.

"W-wait," Mr. Tyson holds a hand up, before crossing his arms, looking between you and Santana as you both lift your heads and look at him in question. "Y-you said this was an inherited disease." He says and you nod. He lifts his shoulders and looks at his son before back at you, "No one in my family has had this. They've all been healthy and…"

"We suspect your wife had it." Santana says, and Mr. Tysons shakes his head firmly.

"No." he says, "She never had any health problems."

"You're sure?" you ask carefully glancing at Marcus as he watches the scene unfold. "She could've had odd looking freckles, uhm…dots in her irises." You offer, holding a hand out. Mr. Tyson shakes his head no once again and you wet your lips, looking at Santana.

"No, she was healthy." He states, "Why would you think she was sick in the first place?"

Santana clears her throat and lifts her brows at you and you clench and unclench your jaw, "We believe that this disease is what caused her accident."

"What do you mean?" You and Santana look at Marcus as she looks between the both of you with furrowed brows, "My mom's car was hit by a drunk driver." He says and you part your lips, looking at Santana.

"That's not what the police report said." You say gently and Marcus shakes his head, clenching his jaw.

"Well then you have the wrong report." He says loudly.

"Marcus, calm down, we're just trying to get to the bottom of this." Santana says, holding her hand out over his shin. Marcus blinks away and shakes his head.

"You're claiming my mother was sick when I know what happened!" He shouts.

"Marcus, that's enough." Mr. Tyson says quietly as you straighten. Santana looks from you to Marcus's father and puts her hands in her coat pocket. "The report accurate." He admits and you lift your brows, looking at Santana as she arches a brow and tilts her head to the side a bit.

She was right. He had lied. You shake your head and listen as Mr. Tyson continues, "When you started driving…I thought that telling you your mother…"

"You used mom to make sure I'd be careful on the road." Marcus says in disbelief.

"I know it was wrong but…"

"What else did you lie about, dad?" Marcus asks loudly, and his father looks down, "Was she really a teacher or did you just want me to read?" he scoffs and you furrow your brows, sniffing.

"Son, please…"

"What's that smell?" you ask, cutting off the father. Everyone looks at you and Santana furrows her brows, sniffing.

"I don't smell anything." She says and you look at Marcus. You look over him and Santana lean forwards, "Dr. Pierce?"

You glance at Marcus's face, his eyes watching you closely, and glance at Santana. She lifts her head slowly and the both of you remove his blanket from over him, straightening when you see fecal matter on the mattress and his gown. You look at Santana and she looks at you before looking at Marcus who was staring in shock. "We're going to need a nurse."

"What the hell…"

"Don't worry about it." Santana says and Marcus starts shaking his head. Santana places her clipboard down and begins to leave the room when Mr. Tyson speaks up, touching the edge of the bed.

"You didn't feel anything?" he questions in confusion and Marcus shakes his head. You stop from following after Santana as she stops at the door, and tilt your head as Santana walks back over, taking a pen from her coat pocket and clicking it open.

You watch her poke the tip of his big toe, "Did you feel that?" she asks, looking at the boy. He nods. "But you didn't feel…" she motions to him and he shakes his head again.

"No." he says nervously and Santana lets out a heavy breath, looking back at you.

* * *

**A/N: Let me know what you guys thought. There is a lot more Brittana to come, especially with this case. The two make quite the team **

**-B**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Well hellooo, readers! It's only been two days since my previous update, and yes, usually three to four days is how long I wait but I'm bored and ahead of schedule on the chapters so as a little treat to all of you...an update!**

**-B**

* * *

November, 2014:

You're sitting in the main office discussing ideas with Santana when the office door opens and Dr. Schuester walks in with Mike and Sebastian following him. You and Santana exchange looks before you smile at Sebastian, watching him take a seat beside Santana at the table.

"Don't you have patients?" she asks jokingly getting a chuckle from the handsome man.

"I've asked Dr. Smythe to assist the three of you on this case." Schuester says and you lift your brows, glancing at Mike, standing with his arms crossed near the door; not looking too happy about the change. "It seems he offered up a logical suggestion and I think he could be an asset to this case." He says and you nod.

"His theory was logical but it's not NF2." Santana says and Sebastian tilts his head while Mike straightens and grins faintly. You grin in amusement at this before addressing the Dean.

"We were obtaining DNA samples when the patient…" you slow, shifting in your spot and look to Santana.

She chuckles and leans back in her chair, "He shit himself." She says and all the men's brows lift in surprise. "We added bowel incontinence on the board." She points to the whiteboard with her pen and Dr. Schuester walks over, reading what you have down.

"Also, we have Nurse Hummel and Nurse Jones running other genetic tests, we should have results early tomorrow morning." You tell them all with Santana nodding.

Dr. Schuester pulls his gaze from the board before smiling at you and Santana and nodding, "Good work. I'll check in later on tomorrow then." He says before excusing himself from the room.

You look between Sebastian and Mike, Sebastian quietly discussing with Santana, and Mike eyeing Sebastian closely, and get up, walking to the door, "Mike." You say, motioning for him to follow you. He nods and does so, walking by your side as you move towards the elevator.

* * *

"So, what's the deal with you and Sebastian?" you ask as the two of you slide into opposite sides of a booth in the cafeteria.

He lets out a heavy sigh and shakes his head, lifting his coffee to his lips.

"There is no deal." He says and you arch a disbelieving brow. He cracks a faint grin and you chuckle, nudging his leg with yours.

"C'mon, I'm all ears."

"I don't know. We're friends, we're in the crew but when it comes to working together…we never see eye to eye. It's basically a constant competition between us. Has been ever since med school."

"You two went to Harvard together?" you ask, intrigued. He nods.

"Same graduating class."

"I've always kinda wanted a rival like that." You shrug, taking a drink of your coffee. Mike tilts his head with a look and you smile shyly, shrugging once again, "What, I have."

"Right. Well I can see you and Santana being rivals." He laughs quietly and you narrow your eyes with a smile.

"Why do you say that?"

"Sure you two get along decently enough outside of work, and even in the hospital but there is something between you two."

You tense with wide eyes, and quickly look down at your coffee, tapping the side of the cup as he continues, "There's this tension that everyone can feel. It's like you two push each other which is good. Makes you better doctors, especially because you respect each other and can admit when you're wrong. Like you're not too prideful to argue when you know the other is right." He says as you stare at him incredulously.

"…Yeah, that's it." You say slowly.

"You're lucky in that way." He nods.

You regard him carefully as he smiles to himself, drinking his coffee and nod, "Alright, well, I'm going to fit in a few clinic cases before the days over." You tell him and Mike watches you leave, waving when you look back from the exit.

* * *

"_I promise."_

_"Never let go…_" _Jack says, shivering terribly while staring up at Rose_.

"_I'll never let go, Jack. I'll never let go._"

You roll your eyes as Rose and Jack stare deeply into each other's eyes on the screen and turn your head to look at Chess sprawled out beside you on the couch. He lifts his head, feeling your gaze on him and you sigh.

"Are you buying this?" you ask him and he just blinks and rests his head back against the cushion. "Me neither." You mumble, lifting your mug to your lips as you hold the remote out in front of you and change the channel.

It was just coming up to 7 o'clock when you settle on an episode of House Hunters. You left the hospital half past five, getting home only to go right back out to walk Chess. Another fifteen minutes outside before you were home to stay. You ripped off your work attire and threw on flannel pajamas pants and a black Duke hoodie before making some popcorn and a tea to relax and enjoy some good old television. Somehow you landed on Titanic. You're not in love with the movie, but it was a classic and decent enough. Just…maybe not the right time to watch it.

_We obviously find each other attractive and there was some thick sexual tension between us, but now we can forget about it and get back to actually doing our jobs_.

You pout sadly and sink further into your couch, pulling your knees to your chest while lifting your mug. It bugged you how Santana could easily just dismiss what happened between the two of you. You had thought that she sort of _had_ to like you if she wanted to sleep with you. You can understand the first time being blamed on your lack of sobriety but come on! Three times! Three amazing, jaw dropping, back arching, earth shattering times. _If_ you were being completely honest.

"God." You blush just thinking about how sexy Santana looked as she crawled back up your body, your hand tangled in her hair as she held her bottom lip between her teeth with a pleased smirk.

You groan in frustration and jump when Chess launches himself off the couch, barking like a maniac. You hold your mug out, looking over yourself to see if you spilt, and snap your head up when you hear another knock at your door.

"What the hell?" you frown and get up, shushing Chess as you make your way to the door. "Chess, that's enough!" you tell him firmly and he quiets, ducking his head. You huff dramatically and pick him up before peeking through the peek hole and furrowing your brows.

"Sorry we're late!"

* * *

"Uh…late for what exactly?" you ask as Kurt and Quinn push their way into your apartment. Your eyes widen and you close the door behind them, placing Chess down, "Oh my god, did we have plans to see a movie or something? I totally forgot, I'm so sorry! Let me just get dressed and we…"

"Brittany, relax!" Kurt says with an amused smile as Quinn shakes her head at you fondly while setting up a decent sized white board in front of your TV. "You didn't forget anything; we just…invited ourselves over." He shrugs as you slowly make your way into the living room, eyeing Quinn carefully as she writes 'Operation Brain' at the top of the board.

"Operation…Kurt!" you exclaim in horror, smacking him upside the head.

"_Ow_!" he scowls with a pointed look. You cross your arms tightly over your chest and nod towards the board and Quinn watching the two of you with a chuckle.

"You told Quinn?!" You hiss and he huffs while the other blonde smiles and tilts her head.

"I already knew, remember? We talked about it at the dinner?" she asks and you slowly relax, lifting your head as your lips part.

"Oh right…" you say slowly, glancing at Kurt. You smile innocently and he narrows his eyes, "Sorry." You flash him a sweet smile and he rolls his eyes, fighting back a grin as he heads to your kitchen.

"Don't worry about it. I'll pour us something to drink!"

You go to protest before stopping yourself and just sit on the couch, Chess finding his way to your lap.

"So…" you draw out.

Quinn takes a seat in the grey chair from your mother and crosses her legs, only then do you realize she's in her work clothing and Kurt was in his scrubs. "Did you two just leave the hospital?" you ask and Quinn shakes her head.

"No, we left an hour ago. Then we had to drop Rach at home before going out and buying that damn board. I mean, I don't really think it's necessary." She shrugs and you nod in agreement.

"Yeah, I was going to say."

"It's necessary." Kurt states, coming back holding three empty wine glasses and a bottle of red in his hands. You accept a glass from him before he hands Quinn her own, standing in front of the board while pouring his own glass. Quinn takes the bottle and you pull your eyes from her as Kurt takes a healthy sip of his, "So!" he beams, "Progress report."

"Kurt." You groan his name and hold your glass out for Quinn to pour, smiling quickly in thanks before looking back at the man. "Enough with the progress reports. There hasn't been anything to report!"

"Lies." Quinn says and you frown, "You do know Santana is my best friend right? After Rachel of course."

You wet your lips and look down.

"Fine. Brittany, you won't talk? I'll go to Quinn." Kurt says, opening a pack of markers. "What do you got?"

You tense and look between the two nervously as Quinn leans back in the chair, "You had them cab home together, right?" Kurt nods and your eyes widen as she smiles, "Well, Santana told me this morning, after I nagged her about the rest of her weekend, that Britt tried to plant one on her."

You let out a breath and Kurt squeals as you focus on looking way more invested in your wine than you really are.

"Brittany, you vixen." Kurt whispers with a beaming grin. You glance up at him and humor him with a forced smirk and a shrug. "So what happened after that, did she tell you?"

"That's all I got." Quinn says before they both look at you.

"What?"

"Anything you want to add?" Quinn asks with a playful glint in her eye.

"Uh, no? Just what Santana said. I tried to kiss her." You state, "I-I mean, I…not really. It wasn't even really that I tried to kiss her. More like, I mean, Chess was barking and I tripped and she caught me. Our faces were just really close together." You rant, Chess lifting his head from your knees at the mention of his name, and you look down, petting him as you continue to make shit up, "I just looked at her lips really. I didn't lean in or anything. I wouldn't do that. Yeah, no, nothing happened." You finish with a tight smile, looking at them.

Quinn and Kurt just stare back at you before Quinn slowly blinks and looks at Kurt.

"This is going to be harder we originally thought."

* * *

**A/N: Shorter, I know, but you can expect the next update Sunday or early morning. **

**-B**


	13. Chapter 13 & Chapter 14 (That's Right!)

**A/N: Holy crap okay, so, wow, this case is fricken long as hell I just realized. But the team is getting close! More Brittana interaction in this chapter. I actually really like their conversation(s) in this one, hopefully you do too.**

**A heads up, now that I'm back to uni I, mostly likely, because I'm you know...me, will forget to update. I do that a lot. So just letting you know that!**

**Disclaimer: Same as last chapter (Too lazy to do that.)**

**Actually just because, I'm squishing chapter 13 and 14 together so you have more to read and to speed up this case. Am I great or am I great ;) rofl**

**-B**

* * *

November, 2014:

"Brittany, hey!" Sam grins boyishly at you as you walk into the building, jogging up to you from where he was standing near the clinic doors.

You give him a tight lipped smile and a light wave, heading to the elevators with purpose.

"Damn," he laughs, falling in line with you, "You got some long legs on you."

"Yeah, I guess so." You say, hitting the up button, tapping your fingers against the leather gloves you hold in front of you. You do a double take at Sam, squinting faintly as you subtly watch him stare at your ass while trying to make it look like he was reading a patients file, and sigh heavily before the doors open.

You step to the side when he jumps in with you and arch a brow, "Weren't you just working in the clinic?" you ask slowly and he lifts his brows in surprise.

"Oh!" his lips fall apart and you can't help but stare because, Jesus, those are some huge ass lips. You never really looked at them before but yeah, something was definitely off with his mouth to face ratio. "Yeah, I just thought I'd walk you to the office." He tries his, what you assume, charming smile on you and just smile politely and nod, looking at the doors ahead of you. You see him deflate with your peripherals and narrow your eyes when the doors open revealing Santana walking across the elevator looking at a file.

You step out and call her name, making her slow and glance back over her shoulder at you. Sam goes to follow you and you stop, putting your hand gently against his chest before giving a small push back into the elevator, "I'm good." You say, reaching inside and push the floor button before quickly stepping back and marching up to the waiting Latina.

"Who pissed in your tea this morning?" she asks with a smirk as soon as you get closer to her.

You give her a sarcastic laugh, before quickly glaring at her, dragging her around the corner. She clears her throat, arching a brow at you while removing your hand from her sleeve, holding the file down in front of her, "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." You nod, "Why would you tell Quinn I tried to kiss you?"

She simply arches a brow and you cross your arms, arching your own brow challengingly.

"Because you did try." She shrugs. "Then you did and then things proceeded and…"

You shake your head, scrunching your face and hold your hand up to stop her, "Okay, yeah, enough." She stops, shrugging, and you glance to the side before looking back at her, "Why did you open your mouth and say anything?"

"Because she was nagging me about…" she begins, waving it off after a second, "Why does it matter? And actually, how do you even know I told her?" she asks with a suspicious gaze.

You open your mouth to reply before stopping and thinking. You can't really tell her about Quinn and Kurt visiting you last night and how they marked up the entire white board with ideas and strategies on how to win the brunettes heart because…well hello, one, that's plain creepy.

You wrack your brain for an answer and close your eyes, shaking your head before opening them.

"I, uh, heard her tell Rachel before I left yesterday." You come up with and Santana shakes her head as she clenches her jaw, looking to the floor.

"That woman just can't keep her mouth shut." She grumbles, "Is that all she said?" she suddenly asks and you shift, glancing at the group of interns coming down the hall. You smile casually at Dr. Schuester as he leads the interns down the hall towards you and Santana follows your gaze, rolling her eyes, "Fabulous."

"Dr. Pierce, Dr. Lopez," he greets with a wide grin, stopping beside you both. The interns stop behind him and you run your eyes over each of them quickly before returning your gaze to your boss, "How's your patient coming along? Oh, what were the results for the tests?" he asks, crossing his arms as he looks between the two of you.

"I just got in." you say and he frowns, glancing at his watch, "Still gotta get those snow tires." You chuckle awkwardly and glance at Santana, shaking her head as she looks up.

"Yes, I'd get on that." Schuester says, "So, Dr. Lopez?"

"According to Jones, the results won't be ready for another hour or so. I'll have Dr. Chang page you as soon as we get them." She says confidently and you roll your own eyes, crossing your arms as the Dean nods, accepting her answer.

"I'd appreciate that." He nods and motions for the interns to follow him once again, "Oh, Dr. Pierce, perhaps Nurse Hummel can help you with your tire situation. I believe his father owns a garage close by."

"I will be sure to do that before I leave." He grins before leading the group off.

"God I hate interns." Santana scoffs and you furrow your brows.

"Why exactly?"

"Fresh out of med school and all of them think they know more than they do. They're lucky I'm not allowed to train anymore." She says and you lift your brows with a curious smile, leaning closer.

"What'd you do?"

Santana waves it off and you hit her shoulder lightly with your gloves.

"Tell me." You smile and she huffs.

"It's nothing extravagant. I just didn't hold back on the criticism."

"So you made them cry." You state knowingly and Santana snorts.

"Please, if me speaking the truth and knocking them down a peg makes them cry, they're not on the right career path. People will make you feel like you're not good enough every day; your boss, peers, patients…You need to know how to take their criticism and use it to your advantage. Otherwise you're never going to prove them wrong and show your true potential." She says, looking over her shoulder before turning back to you and pulling her head back, "What?"

You tilt your head while smiling softly at her and she eyes you carefully, "Seriously, Pierce, you're freaking me out."

"It's nothing just…I don't know." You shrug, "You're kind of inspirational."

Santana wets her lips as she straightens and glances around, not meeting your gaze. When she does glance back at you, your smile grows and she clears her throat and drops her gaze to the floor.

You swear you see a hint of pink dust over her cheeks before she lifts her head and nods.

"Yeah, well, I just speak the truth." She says.

* * *

"Genetic tests are normal!"

You, Mike and Santana look up from the spread out leafs of papers on the table and up to the door where Kurt and Sebastian just walk into the room.

Santana sinks further into her chair across from you as Mike gets up from beside you, walking over to meet the two men at the front of the table.

"You're sure?" he asks, looking through the results. "Damn." He shakes his head, shoulders dropped and you give him an apologetic smile. He sighs and rubs his forehead, motioning for someone to come out with an idea.

"The boy lost control of his bowels; we know something is compromising the central portion of his spinal cord." Santana says, stretching her arms over her head before dropping her hands on to her head, running her hand around her ponytail.

"You know, I still can't believe he lied to his son." Kurt says and you look at him as Santana holds her hand up.

"How do you even know that?" Sebastian shifts and she rolls her eyes, "Totally forgot you two were shacking up."

"Yeah, anyway," Sebastian draws out, before smiling at Kurt, "Lunch?"

Kurt lifts his chin and glances at you before Santana and looking back to Sebastian, "I'll get back to you on that."

You groan quietly and run your hand through your hair, Santana arching a brow at you.

"Ideas? Anyone?" Mike exclaims, holding his hands out while pacing the room. You all look at him as he holds his hand against the back of his neck, brows furrowed in thought.

"We don't have much to go on, Chang." Santana states and Mike stops, sending her an annoyed look. "Hey, you asked for ideas but we can't give you any when we don't have anything to guide us." She says, holding her hand out.

"Lopez is right." Sebastian nods and Mike takes a shaky breath, throwing the two short glares before looking at you hopefully.

You shrink in your seat and glance at Santana and Sebastian before mumbling an apology to Mike.

"Damn it." He shakes his head, stopping at the front of the table. Everyone is quiet, thinking of anything when Mike suddenly bursts out, "Bullshit!" and throws the original file on the table.

You watch it slide to the other end before continuing to the floor, papers sliding out, and look up slowly when Mike leaves the room.

"That man needs to learn to calm the fuck down." Santana shakes her head as Sebastian gets up and gathers the file papers. He nods in agreement as you look at the board.

"He's just dealing with a lot." You make up an excuse for him and both Sebastian and Santana give you pointed looks. "Well okay, I don't actually know that but running a diagnostic team when you're not the actual head of the team."

"Oh give me a break, Pierce."

"You guys don't show him any respect." You say and Sebastian arches a brow while Santana shakes her head. "He's trying and you two just put more and more stress on him without actually trying to get to the bottom of this." You tell them, getting up. You grab the marker and uncap it, looking hard at the board. "Now can you actually put some effort in and do this one thing for him so it doesn't make him feel like crap?" you ask, looking at Sebastian more than Santana. "Maybe try working with him instead of trying to prove you're a better doctor?"

You look at Mike when he walks back in, holding his hands on his hips as he lifts his head, offering a faint smile.

"Transverse myelitis." He suggests and you tilt your head, looking between him and Sebastian as the Asian looks to his rival, "Numbness, anal sphincter dysfunction…"

"And the shocks." Sebastian says with a faint grin, displaying his agreement. "Caused by infection?" he asks and Mike narrows his eyes suspiciously before glancing at you.

You smile at him and he shrugs, looking back at Sebastian.

"If there was an infection, there would've been a fever." Santana states with an arched brow, "Also his blood and CSF cultures are already negative."

"The infection could be gone, but maybe the memory of it remains." You speak up, sending the Latina a smug smirk.

Santana taps her pen on the table and slowly smirks, "Molecular mimicry. Interesting."

"We'll need an immunoglobulin level and electrophoresis." Sebastian says, nodding before looking to Mike, "Who do you want to do it?" he asks and Mike straightens in surprise, glancing at you. You nod for him to go ahead and he shifts.

"You think you and Lopez can handle it?" he asks and Sebastian nods, standing up with the Latina.

"No problem." He says while walking to the door. His pager goes off as soon as his hand touches the door and he pulls it from his belt, looking at it. "Problem." He says, looking back at Mike with an apologetic, tight lipped smile.

Mike nods and Sebastian leaves the room before you're being ushered out of the room after Santana. Mike puts his hand on your shoulder before you follow after her down the hall, and you look back at him with lifted brows, "Thanks."

"For what?" you ask, holding back a smile.

He chuckles and squeezes your shoulder before letting you go. You just smile with an eye roll and head after Santana.

* * *

[Chapter 14:]

"If I can just get you to face Dr. Pierce, that'd be great." Santana says as she stands to Marcus's right.

You stand to his left and give him a reassuring smile while gently helping him lie on his left side so he's facing you, while Santana gets ready for the lumbar puncture.

"So, what is going on exactly?" Mr. Tyson asks, looking from Marcus to you with a nervous expression. You give him a tight lipped smile and pat Marcus's shoulder lightly when Santana retrieves the long needle.

"An infectious agent's molecular structure can resemble that of the spinal cord's." You explain, motioning your hand to Santana as she pushes the needle between central regions of Marcus's spinal cord. You watch her hold a clear tube at the end of the needle, clear fluid dripping into the tube from Marcus's spine.

"When the immune system attacks the infection, sometimes it will end up attacking the spinal cord as well." Santana states, lifting her head while screwing the lid on the tube. She puts it on the tray before carefully removing the needle, and gives Mr. Tyson a smile before looking at Marcus and patting his arm, "You can lay on your back."

"I'm a little confused…" Mr. Tyson says, rubbing his forehead, "So he does have an infection?"

"No." Santana says, crossing her arms over her chest as she explains, "Even after the infection is gone, it keeps attacking because the spinal cord is still there. Before you ask," she begins, holding her hand out with a faint grin, "There are treatments, depending on what the original infection was.

You look away from Santana and Mr. Tyson to see Marcus wince when he tries to lay on his back, and frown, touching his arm, "Is something bothering you?" you ask getting Santana's attention.

Marcus forces a smile and shakes his head, "Yeah, I'm just…I'm feeling a little nauseous." He says slowly, glancing to his father, "Can you grab me a ginger ale or something?"

"Of course." He says and is quickly out of the room. You reach to pick up the little bowl for him to throw up in but he waves it off, laying back and shifting to get comfortable.

"I'm fine, I just needed some time without him here."

Santana shifts, refolding her arms and tilts her head with furrowed brows, "Why's that?" You look from her to Marcus as he wets his lip uncertainly.

"You said depending on the original infection there might be a treatment." You and Santana nod in sync and he takes a heavy breath. "During reading week a buddy of mine invited a group of us to Jamaica…"

Your lips part slowly as you exchange a glance with Santana, before you nod for him to continue, "He flew us down and my dad has this stupid thing about accepting things from more _well-off_ friends." He mumbles with an eye roll. "Some crap about remembering where I came from. I just…you know, thought knowing that might help you guys figure out what's going on." He says with a nod.

* * *

"I told you." Santana says, holding the office door open for you before following you in. You smile faintly at the tiny gesture and look up at Mike flipping through Marcus's file on the table. "All these idiots know is lying."

Mike lifts his head with furrowed brows while you lean against the table, rolling your eyes at Santana, "What exactly did I miss?"

"Marcus and a few friends of his went to Jamaica for reading week. His dad doesn't know. One of his friends flew them out."

"Mhm, and there's only one reason a group of college kids would go to Jamaica." Santana says knowingly.

"He doesn't do weed, Santana." You tell her firmly, "He only drinks."

"That's what he said in front of good old daddy." She smirks.

"Wasn't his tox screen negative for THC?" Mike asks in confusion and you nod, giving the Latina smug smile. She rolls her eyes and sits down at the table, nudging your thigh with her elbow, hard.

"_Ow_." you say pointedly, moving from the table to take a seat near Mike. The Asian man chuckles at the interaction as you scowl at Santana; and bump Mike's shoulder with yours to stop him from laughing.

"Okay, lets say he is lying about the marijuana…"

"Mike!" you exclaim in disbelief. Santana leans back in her chair, crossing her legs with a pleased smirk when Mike puts his hands up. "No, there is no way the marijuana can cause transverse myelitis." You say firmly, shaking your head.

"Who said it did?" Santana asks and you tilt your head in confusion.

"You just…"

"Not the weed, Brittany, what you put on it." Mike says, leaning forwards. You look between his eyes and slowly lift your head when it hits you.

"Pesticides."

"And he didn't need to smoke the pot to get pesticide poisoning. He could've eaten some fruit that was sprayed, or been exposed through his skin during a hike." Santana nods, and god, you hate it when she's right. "Or he could've smoke it."

"Santana." You and Mike say and she chuckles, holding her hands up in defense.

"It's still a possibility. He could've smoked it, a shit ton, and then just lie about it. Which, seeing as him and his father haven't been honest with us about anything from the start, doesn't seem like such a stretch."

You groan and she leans forwards, looking at Mike, "I say we start him on IV Pralidoxime. Two grams per liter, then one gram every few hours until we see improvement."

"You have no evidence to support your poisoning _theory_ besides the _two_ times they've lied." You point out, pointing at her when you look to Mike, "Please tell me you agree with me and you aren't falling for this bullshit."

"She's right Santana, you don't have anything to back it up."

"Which will make it even more amazing when I turn out to be right." She smirks, "Unless of course, you two have anything better?" You and Mike open your mouths to throw something out before pausing, sharing a glance before letting out sighs, "No? Great."

* * *

"Dr. Pierce!"

You still at the Dean's voice and groan inwardly before turning around and smiling at the man as he walks from the hospital entry to where you are standing by the elevators, ready to head up to the office.

"Dr. Schuester." You nod in greeting, subtly pushing the up button with gusto. You pull your hand back when he stops beside you and lift your brows when he motions for you to enter the elevator with him when the doors open.

"You're on time today." He laughs, nodding with a pleased smile and you force a smile of your own.

"I am. Still lacking the snow tires, just left a little earlier to be sure I was here."

"Excellent. So, how's your patient doing?"

"He's…" you begins before stopping, "I was just on my way up to see him, I'll let you know." You tell him with a smile, stepping out. You side eye him when he follows you out, accompanying you to the office, and you give him a curious look.

"You're treating him for pesticide poisoning with no proof of pesticides." He says and you nod, opening the door and swap your outside coat and accessories for your lab coat.

"Technically it was Dr. Lopez's idea."

"As long as he doesn't get worse." He says firmly and you nod, looking to Noah's office door when the man walks out dressed a pressed suit. "Welcome back, Puckerman. I assume you're caught up on the case?"

Noah nods with a smile and stops by your side, tapping the file in his hand to his chest while his other hand moves to his pocket, "I am. You have nothing to worry about, Schue. I'll handle the kids." He says with a joking wink and Schuester nods before leaving the room. You and Noah lean to the side to make sure the Dean is gone before Noah smacks your arm with the file.

"What was _that_ for?" you frown.

"You let Lopez treat the boy for pesticides without proof of pesticides!" he points out and you drop your jaw.

"No way. I was against it. Mike took over your position and gave her the go ahead."

"Ugh, Chang." He growls, motioning for you to follow him. "This is going to be just great for our lawyer. The board will eat us alive." He says as you hurriedly walk beside him, heading to Marcus's room. "Her aunt will have her head if she…"

"Ha ha!" Mr. Tyson beams, patting his son on the shoulder as Marcus shovels down some breakfast. "I don't know what you did but my boys got his appetite back." He smiles proudly as you and Noah stand in the doorway, baffled, and exchanging looks of disbelief.

* * *

"What you did was unprofessional and completely idiotic, Lopez." Noah argues firmly, dropping the file on the table before running his hand over his head; Santana clenching her jaw with her arms crossed.

You shift awkwardly in your seat, glancing at Mike as he glances to you, shaking his head like he's used to these two arguing like this. You look back at the cousins as Santana glares at Noah.

"Oh give me a break, Puckerman. No one else was coming up with ideas!" she throws her hand out towards you and Mike and you tip your head, agreeing with her on that. "Besides, the kid's healthy again! There shouldn't be a problem."

"He is not healthy. Nausea and diarrhea were not his only symptoms."

"Yeah, well the shocks have also decreased." Santana points out and Mike speaks up.

"They haven't disappeared." Mike says and receives the dirtiest glare you've ever seen from Santana. "I'm just pointing it out."

"Well thanks for that, egg roll!"

You stifle a laugh at Mike's shocked look and bite your lip to keep from smiling, shaking your head at the brunette when she glances at you.

"He still has low white count." Noah says, jaw clenching as he puts his hands on his hips.

"They do need time to grow." You offer with a shrug and Noah does a double take giving you a 'what the actual fuck' look. You shrug again and rest your fist under your chin, watching the two continue to go back and forth.

"You're starting to piss me off, Noah." Santana says slowly and he barks out a laugh.

"How unfortunate for…"

The four of you all look to the center of the table where the phone was ringing, and you glance up at Noah as he lets out a frustrated breath. Santana rolls her eyes and reaches over and lifts the phone from the receiver, bringing it to her ear.

"Dr. Lopez." She answers and watch her. "He's having a mental breakdown at the moment, just tell me whatever it is…" she trails off, lifting her gaze to you before hanging up and looking at Noah.

"I was right."

"Yeah, don't get used to it." She mumbles as the three of you get up and hurry to follow Noah out of the office.

* * *

Noah steps into the room and you move in next, Santana pushing her way forwards until she is pressed beside you, both of you turned towards each other to fit in the doorway.

"What's going on?" Mike asks from the other side of Noah.

Rachel and Mr. Tyson snap their heads up from Marcus and Rachel speaks, "He has the chills and his temperature is spiking. It's nearly 106."

"What's that mean? What's happening?" Mr. Tyson says in panic as you and Santana move in and over to Marcus. You gently open his eyelids and check them for any yellowing or clotting as Santana checks his heart rate monitor, Mike and Noah moving into the room further.

"Do you want the truth or shall I make something up to protect you?" she asks in annoyance.

"Santana, don't." you say pointedly.

"Maybe a drunk driver came and broke into his room." She finishes with a sharp glare.

"Santana!" you shout, snapping in front of her to get her attention. Mr. Tyson grabs your wrist and you and Santana snap your gazes to him.

"What's happening to my son?" You look at Santana and back at Noah and Mike, before shaking your head.

"We don't know."

* * *

**A/N: Mike and Sebastian are all good now. Well getting there. Seb is not a bad guy, him and Mike just clash a bit. God, what I would've given to have more Sebastian in Glee rather than fricken Blaine. Notice his lack of appearance? Yeah. On a lighter note: Next update, aiming for Wednesday!**

**So if you want, hit me up and tell me what you thought but until next time! Later, Loves!**

**-B**


	14. Chapter 15

**A/N: Good evening readers! Let's get straight to the point because I'm fricken exhausted! Glad you all liked last two chapter smooshed into one, here's ch. 15.**

**-B**

* * *

November, 2014:

_Shocks._

_Headache._

_Nausea._

_Drowsiness._

_Focal Numbness._

_FEVER_

Noah underlines fever and sighs as he puts the cap on, turning and looking back at you, Mike, and Santana.

Apparently Sebastian has a lot to deal with and can no longer help with the case, not that he did much in the first place, and Dean Schuester removed him from the case, leaving it up to the original team. You were sitting on the edge of the table with Santana standing beside you, and Mike sitting in a chair to your other side, waiting for Noah's instructions.

"Maybe the tests were wrong?" Mike suggests and Santana scoffs.

"The tests were right, Chang." She sighs, running a hand through her hair, "Yesterday he had no fever, no infection."

"That doesn't make sense. So he just happened to catch something here?" you ask and Santana rolls her head to look at you.

"Yes, well, this is a hospital, Pierce. Diseased nuisances down every corridor." She states and you give a sarcastic smile.

"His room was sterile, was it not?" you mumble back.

"His white blood cell count was down." Noah says, draping his arm over the top of the board, "Which left him vulnerable. But his count is really down, and that can kill him."

"Fantastic." Mike groans, rubbing his face.

"Yup, and he's shitting his pants again." Santana says with faux excitement. You grimace and shake your head at her. "What, he is." She shrugs.

"Wait, you said _again_?" Noah points out.

"Yeah, well he was getting better." She shakes her head, scratching the side of it with a bored look on her face.

"He was feeling better…he wasn't getting any better." Noah says, squinting in thought at the board. "What causes a 23 year old kid to become immuno-compromised with GI involvement and shocks?" he asks, tapping the marker in his hand against the side of his leg. "Lopez, intravenous broad spectrum antibiotics. Chang, cervical thoracic and lumbar T2 weighted fast spin echo MRI's, and Pierce, see if you can get some names and track down the kids Marcus headed to Jamaica with." He nods, scratching his head, "See if any of them got shocks and whatnot."

* * *

"Brittany!"

You spin around at Quinn's voice and smile widely, accepting her one armed hug, the other holding her purse and jacket.

"Hey, you're heading home already?" you ask as the two of you separate.

"Well not entirely," she nods with a smile, "I just had my last meeting with a patient and I've finished my clinic hours for this week. I was thinking of taking one or two before I left all together to get ahead for next week. What about you? How's your patient?"

"This is a weird case." You admit and she chuckles, stepping out of the way with you when another hoard of interns march down the hall. You shake your head as you watch them before looking back at Quinn, "We were thinking Transverse Myelitis at first, then moved to pesticide poisoning but now we're all branched out. Trying to find something from anywhere. Noah wants me to talk with the patient, get a few names, and pay a few visits to see if anyone had any similar symptoms." You explain, putting your hands in the pockets of your lab coat.

Quinn tilts her head in interest and you chuckle, "What would his friends have to do with this?"

"Him and a few buddies traveled to Jamaica over spring break, we think he caught something from there."

"Ahh, I see." She smiles before arching a brow and motioning to the patient's room, "Mind if I tag along. This sounds pretty interesting."

"Really?" you ask through a laugh. She nods and you shrug, "Sure. If we can get him to release a few names that is."

"I think I could help with that." She winks before the two of you enter the room.

Mr. Tyson and Marcus look towards you and Quinn when you step inside and they eye her carefully.

You hold your hand out towards her and she smiles, stepping forwards with her hand outstretched, "This is Dr. Fabray. She's offering her help with the case."

"Nice to meet you." Quinn says, shaking the fathers hand before smiling at Marcus and moving to his side with you at the foot of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." He grins faintly and she lets out a laugh.

"That's expected. Just hold on, the doctors you have working on your case are the best." She winks reassuringly and both Marcus and Mr. Tyson smile in appreciation.

You roll your eyes playfully at how she slips into sympathetic oncologist mode and step forwards, dropping your hands to the foot of the bed, Marcus looking at you. "We were wondering if we could grab a few names from you. We'd like to see if any of your friends have been experiencing similar symptoms so we can get a better idea of what we're dealing with." You tell him softly.

"We were already asked this in the ER. What else can we tell you?" Mr. Tyson asks.

You nod, "We understand that, but they didn't have the information we do now."

"And what information would that be?" he asks, shaking his head as he looks from you to Quinn and back. You look at Marcus, catching the subtle shake of his head and look down before smiling at Mr. Tyson. "What? Is something wrong?" he asks, stepping closer to his son's bed.

"Would you mind if we spoke to Marcus alone for a moment?" Quinn asks politely and you look at her over your shoulder. She nods and motions to the door while Mr. Tyson furrows his brows.

"If something is wrong then you…"

"Mr. Tyson, I can assure you nothing is wrong. It's just…confidential." She says and you wet your lips, letting out a breath as you glance back at the boy.

"Why is something suddenly confidential?" he asks with a squint. "If you know something about my son, you should be talking to me, not asking me to leave the room."

"I'm sorry, I'm going to insist that you…" you begin.

"I'm his father." He says, pointing at Marcus. "And if I'm going to take care of him…I need to know what's going on. You shouldn't be keeping information about my boy from…"

"Dad, stop." Marcus mumbles, looking at his father as you and Quinn look down at him, "They want to know who I went to Jamaica with." Mr. Tyson shakes his head and Marcus blinks tiredly, "Riley's dad flew a bunch of us down during spring break."

"You told me…"

"I know what I told you. I just wanted to take an actual break while I could for once, instead of working my ass off." He says with a huff.

You swallow and look back at Quinn, the other blonde glancing at you with a faint smile. "I shouldn't have lied."

"What you should've done, was come home."

"I'm sorry." You interrupt and get everyone's attention. You smile apologetically, "We're going to need those names."

* * *

"We just figured it was from the hardcore drinking and shit."

You and Quinn exchange glances before looking ahead of you at the twenty four year old boy, Riley, sitting behind the large oak desk. He looked like every other spoiled rich boy, handed his career on a silver platter. Gelled hair, expensive, pristine suit, etc.

"What exactly were your symptoms?"

"You know, headaches, nausea, vomiting." He says, leaning back in his chair. You want to roll your eyes so hard but keep it professional and write down what he tells you on the notebook your brought, "Why do you think what's going on with Marcus is related to what happened on the trip?"

"That's confidential." Quinn says, seeing you struggle to find something to say.

Riley narrows his eyes at her before pointing his pen at her, leaning forwards, "Who are you?"

"I'm a consult on Marcus's case." She states with a look that blatantly states 'don't mess with me'.

"So!" you say loudly, breaking their glare match, "No unexplained pain or strange feelings since you've been back?"

"No." he says slowly, pulling his gaze from the oncologist before picking up a paper from a stack of them and running his eyes over it, "Besides a little athletes foot, I'm perfectly fine." He mumbles, squinting at the bottom of the page while you arch a brow.

"Can I see it?" you ask on the edge of your seat. Riley's eyes snap up when you get to your feet, and Quinn leans back in her chair, holding her head up.

"Uh, see what exactly?" he asks in confusion.

You pause and give him an arched brow, "Your feet." You tell him and motion to your bag, waiting for Quinn to retrieve the latex gloves and hand them to you. "There is a common bacteria in Jamaica that resembles foot fungus." You tell him, standing next to the desk with your hands on your hips, expectantly.

He wets his lips and nods slowly, "You know…it's not really on my feet. I just thought fungus is fungus." You nod, motioning for him to show you and he clears his throat. "It's my groin." He says and you blink.

"I'm going to need to take a look at that." You say easily. Riley swallows and glances at Quinn. You follow his gaze and she just nods at him with an amused smirk making you shake your head and look back at him.

"Like…now?" he asks.

"Yeah, now. Unless you want to follow me to the hospital."

"Yeah, no, we're in the middle of a really big merge, and I just started a few days ago, if I leave…"

"Then drop your pants." Quinn says firmly and you arch a brow at him, motioning for him to get up. He releases a heavy breath and gets up, fiddling with his belt. You wait patiently as his pants drop down and crouch low, checking furrowing your brows at the reddish bumps on the inside of his thighs. You tilt your head, and lift your gaze when the door opens and an older man walks in, stopping and looking at all three of you.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asks slowly as you return to looking at the rash.

"S-she's a doctor."

"He has a rash." Quinn says and you hum in agreement.

"Right." He says with an eye roll, "As soon as she's done with your _rash_, I need that report on my desk."

"Of course." Riley nods as you tap the inside of his knee and tell him to spread his legs further. You glance up to see him blush deeply and smirk in amusement, glancing at Quinn when she snorts.

"Great." Riley's boss says and goes to leave before pausing, "Oh, and doctor…" he says with a twitch of is lips, "Why don't you leave a card on your way out?" he suggests, before looking at Quinn, "Either of you. Or both." He winks and leaves the room as you grimace and straighten, pulling your gloves off.

* * *

You walk into the café of the hospital and spot Santana first, before Noah and Mike walk over to the table where she is seated, carrying trays of their food. You shake your head and make your way over, sliding in beside Santana.

"So?" Noah asks as Santana shuffles over a bit, crossing her legs to give you more room; stirring her coffee with a disinterested look.

"No one had any health issues." You say with a shrug before leaning forwards and bringing your hands under your chin, "I mean, this one kid had a rash but other than that? Nothing. Why are we in the café?" you ask as Mike and Noah continue to eat their sandwiches. You look at Santana as she lowers her coffee and lift your brows.

"The idiots believe that this booth is blessed or some shit." She sighs as you look at her coffee, smelling vanilla and caramel.

"Tell her why." Noah says with his mouth full.

"There have been previous cases that were hard to crack and we've solved them…" she trails off, eyeing you as you stare at her coffee.

You glance up at her and straighten, nodding for her to continue.

She shakes her head faintly and holds her mug out for you, "It's a vanilla latte with a caramel drip." She sighs.

"Ou…" you hum, accepting the mug, and take a hesitant sip. "Oh my god, that's amazing." You breathe.

"Yeah, I know." Santana nods, shifting in her spot, "Anyway, when we can't crack a case we come here, same booth and everything, and finally think of the right diagnosis." She explains as you lower her cup from your lips, savoring the delicious taste of the latte. "Can I…" she motions for her mug back and you smile sheepishly, handing it over with a thank you. "Yeah." She mumbles, taking a sip.

"So, one of the kids had a rash." Mike says, wiping his mouth with a napkin, "Nothing else?"

"What kind of rash?" Noah asks and you scrunch your nose, pointing at the men's food.

"You know, I don't really understand why you'd come in the cafeteria to talk about this kind of stuff while you eat." You say and Santana nods in agreement. "I'm guessing that's why you stick with a drink."

"If I'm hungry enough it doesn't bother me." Mike says and Noah pats his shoulder in agreement before swallowing a bite of his food. "So what kind of rash?"

You sigh and shrug, "No idea. I took a few scrapings but it doesn't appear to be ringworm. Aside from that it basically just looked like a diaper rash." You tell them.

"Kaposi's can look like diaper rash." Santana nods, "any discoloration around the edges?"

"That doesn't matter." Noah says, "Even if it is Kaposi's…our guy doesn't have any skin symptoms. Plus you ruled out cancer early on didn't you?"

"Well what are the odds of two friends, returning from a trip outside the country, developing unexplained illnesses?" Santana asks in annoyance. "We bring him in."

"He won't come. I already suggested that. He just got a job after graduation and they're working on some big merger."

"Tell him his friend's life depends on it." She says and you give her a look.

"That's what I told him in the first place. He's not here." Santana purses her lips and you give a smug smile before taking her latte and bringing it to your lips for a large sip.

She narrows her eyes at you, lips twitching into a smirk and you arch a brow as you lower the mug. "Tell him his life depends on it." She states, leaning forwards. You tense as Santana stares into your eyes, her smirk deepening as her fingers brush over yours, taking her mug back as she leans back in her spot, "Tell him it's flesh-eating and his…little friend is next on the menu."

"You're terrible." You tell her and she shrugs, her eyes sparkling playfully as she looks at Noah and Mike for their input. They shrug and you drop your shoulders, "I'm not lying to the kid." You tell them firmly and Santana sighs.

"You're weak, Pierce." She says, and you open your mouth to throw something back at her when all your pagers go off. You lift your gaze from yours and Santana nudges you to move from the booth. "Looks like it might be a little late anyway." She says, handing you her mug before hurrying out of the café with Mike.

You roll your eyes as Noah stands up and push the mug into his hands before following after your two colleagues.

* * *

**Let me know what you think, lates!**

**-B**


	15. Chapter 16

**A/N: Oh my god, loves! Firstly, I love, love, love how much you are all enjoying this story so far! I didn't think I'd be able to pull something like this off but all your feedback and kind words make me feel amazing and so fricken happy! Secondly, this chapter was one of my absolute FAVORITES to write! Probably my favorite so far that you have read because of the Brittana interaction. I'm really excited to see how you all respond to this chapter.**

**P.S. It's a nice longer one for ya too!**

**-B**

* * *

November, 2014:

You hear Marcus's shouts of agony the moment you get out of the elevator and run towards the room.

"What's happening?" you ask as you step into the room, Santana and Mike checking over the vitals with Mr. Tyson watching in panic a few steps from the bed. The room is filled with Marcus's screaming and the monitor beeping repeatedly as you look around with wide eyes.

"His stomach's getting a lot worse." He says quickly as you move to Mike's side, pulling the blanket down.

Santana's eyes flicker over the monitor, searching, as Mike holds Marcus down by his shoulders. You place your hands on his stomach, moving to the side a bit and shake your head.

"It's rigid!" you tell them quickly, locking your gaze with Mike's, "He's bleeding into his abdomen."

"Lopez, get a surgeon and an O.R, stat." he says firmly and she nods quickly, moving to the phone as you and Mike hold Marcus down to keep him from moving too much.

"Hold on, Marcus. It'll be fine." You tell him reassuringly as he screams.

* * *

You stand between Mike and Santana overlooking the operation procedure from the observatory room above. Five doctors moving around Marcus's, working on fixing him up.

Footsteps come from behind the three of you and Mike speaks up, "The infection caused a perforation in his sigmoid colon." He tells Noah as you look at Santana. "It's repairable."

She turns her head, looking at you, and offers a faint reassuring smile before turning her attention back to the operation.

"But this means the antibiotics aren't working." Noah states.

"We could double the does and add Tygacil to the list?" Mike suggests and you shake your head faintly.

"When he's out of surgery." Noah says and its silent for a moment before he speaks up again, "Where's the kid with the rash?" You feel Mike and Noah turn to look at you and wet your lips, keeping your gaze on the operation.

"He's at work." You mumble and Santana glances at you. "I'm not going to lie to him."

"Because it's wrong?" Santana asks quietly, "Or because you're a coward?"

You clench your jaw and look at her with a faint glare, "Really, Santana?"

"I told you two hours ago you need to bring the kid in. You wasted two hours of our time waiting around because you don't want to lie to his friend." She says in annoyance, turning with crossed arms to face you completely, "Even if that means saving our patient's _life_." She argues, "It wouldn't even take much of his time. Even if it did, is that so morally and unforgivably wrong? No, I don't believe it is. Unless we're wrong." She tips her head to the side, glancing at Marcus before returning her gaze to you. "Even if we _are_ wrong, at least we'll be able to check something off the list, bringing us closer to actually being able to identify what could be _killing_ Marcus."

You keep her gaze as she clenches her own jaw, shaking her head at you, "You're scared of being wrong."

"When someone's life is in your hands, I believe that's a pretty good reason to do or not do something." You tell her and she scoffs, stepping closer.

"What happened to the doctor that risked everything on her very first case to ensure she saved the life of her patient? Even though her theory was completely ridiculous."

"That's exactly why-"

"Puckerman." You and Santana keep your challenging gazes locked as Mike and Noah turn to look at Dean Schuester. "That boy's friend is coming in." You look at your boss's boss and Santana looks back at the operation.

"Why?" you ask slowly. If Santana or one of the others lied to bring him in…

"He's vomiting blood." Schuester says and Santana snaps her head up, looking at you and the rest of the team. "The ambulance is five minutes out." He says before leaving.

* * *

You watch Santana pull on latex gloves as you and her wait by the ambulance entrance, the paramedics lowering Riley on the stretcher to the ground, pushing him inside.

Noah and Mike agreed to stay and watch the remainder of Marcus's surgery, sending you two to meet with Riley and figure something out.

You put your hands out, stopping the two paramedics from rolling Riley down to the ER as Santana moves to his side, snapping the glove against her wrist.

"Hold on a second." She says, nodding to one of the men.

"Hey…" Riley says quietly, weakly lifting his hand to point at you.

"Yeah, you don't listen to her." Santana says firmly, sending you a look before focusing back on the boy. You scowl at her as she pulls his blanket down to his knees.

"Lopez, he's vomited in excess of three units of blood." One of them says, holding his hand out to stop Santana from looking at the rash. "He needs-"

"Look," she says in annoyance, sending him a glare, "If you wanted to be a doctor, maybe you should've tried harder in high school. Okay?"

"Bitch." He scoffs, shaking his head as he crosses his arm.

"Heard it all before." She sighs, grabbing a pair of scissors and cutting open Riley's slacks. You step closer, tilting your head as you watch in curiosity. "How close are you and Marcus?"

"Not that close." He says, his cheeks turning pink as he glances at you. You arch a brow and look back at Santana as she rolls her eyes, ripping his slacks.

"Hmm, no? So you didn't share a room or anything?"

"We're not gay." He says and you hold back an amused smile as Santana nods skeptically.

"Not saying you are." She shrugs, smiling at him before ripping his slack more to reveal the front of his briefs, "I'm just saying you had sex."

"We're not gay. We don't even hang out."

"You flew him down to Jamaica." You state and Santana pauses before continuing as Riley looks at you.

"He's in my frat." He shakes his head, letting his head fall back against the stretcher, "Between school, sports, and going home to work in his dad's junkyard, he barely has time to hang out with anyone."

"It's not fungus." She says thoughtfully and you scoff, shifting on your feet as you cross your arms.

"Pretty sure I already told you that."

"No pustules, it's not staph…" she sighs, straightening up as she looks at you. You lift your brows, expecting an apology when she furrows her own and looks back at Riley. "Wait…his dad's what?"

"His dad owns a scrap metal salvage yard. Marcus works there during the breaks." He says and you move closer to Santana as she nods slowly.

"What are you thinking?" you ask and she just motions for the paramedics to continue while putting the scissors down and grabbing your wrist, leading you off. "Santana?" you ask. She lets go of your wrist when you turn a corner and shakes her head.

"He lied." She says with a sarcastic laugh, "Again. God, you know I really hate idiots." She groans as you both head to the elevator.

"What are you talking about?" you ask in confusion, stepping inside the elevator with her, "What do you think it is?"

"That moron…" she lets out a heavy breath, turning to you. You take a surprised step back when she steps forward and she lifts her shoulders, "Did his father not say he owns a construction company?" she asks in anger. You relax and think back before slowly nodding. "Fucking idiot." She hisses, pacing the confined area.

"I'm really not following." You tell her and hesitate before following her out of the elevator to Marcus's room.

* * *

"Do _any_ of you know how to tell the god damn truth?" She asks, shoving the curtains to the side.

You come up behind her, seeing Mr. Tyson look away from Marcus to her with a confused look as Noah and Mike look from his file and monitor.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Tyson asks.

"Right, considering your family, I need to be more specific." She rolls her eyes as you walk in behind her, stopping at the foot of the bed beside her. "What could possibly be the reason for lying about your job?"

"What's happening?" Mike asks you and you shrug.

"Look, I know how it works." Mr. Tyson says as Santana hums, nodding for him to go on, "The better my job, the better treatment for my son."

"You have got to be kidding me." She deadpans. "Did I miss something? Were you served filet mignon during your stay here?"

"Santana." Noah says in warning, moving over to her.

"The last time Marcus worked for you did he find something…unusual? Braided wire with metal weight on each end? Lead canister? Maybe even the lid; could've used it as a door stop or whatever?" she asks, crossing her arms as you and the rest of the team stand nearby, completely in the dark.

"No." Mr. Tyson says, shaking his head, "Why would he even…" You furrow your brows when he stops, a thoughtful look on his face, and glance at Santana as she lifts her brows, nodding. "I gave him an old plumb for an early graduation present. Made it into a keychain. So he'd always know where he came from."

"Where is it?" she asks and he shrugs.

"I have no idea. He uses it as a good luck charm."

Santana rolls her eyes and looks at Noah and Mike, "Where are his clothes?"

"The bureau in his regular room, why?" Mike says as Santana tells you to come with her. You look at her in surprise but follow her nonetheless, Noah and Mike hot on your tail.

"Get it to radiology." She says as you four move down the hall.

"His clothes?" Mike asks in confusion as Noah moves up to Santana's side, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No, the bureau. And don't open it." She says quickly.

"Lopez, what's going on?" he asks, moving his hand to cross his arms.

"Just...trust me on this." She says and you hold your hand up.

"What happened to _we don't do something based on trust_?" you ask, reminding her of your first case together. She gives you an eye roll before looking back at her cousin and boss.

Noah looks at the three of you before nodding and nodding to Mike to follow him.

Santana lets out a breath and looks at you, wetting her lips, "Come with me." She says, starting towards radiology.

* * *

You sit in the office portion of the radiology lab, watching Santana hook up a machine as Mike and Noah come through the doors, carrying what you guess is Marcus's bedroom bureau. They set it down and Santana hands Noah the measuring tool before backing up.

"This thing is radioactive." Santana tells Mike and Noah, you watching in confusion. Mike nods and quickly moves from the bureau, heading into the office where you are and stands beside you as you sit at the desk, and gives a small smile.

"You think radiation caused CNS symptoms?" Noah asks as Santana stops from heading into the office. He chuckles and puts the Geiger counter down on top of the bureau, looking at Santana with an amused grin. "The chances of that are-" he stops when the counter sounds loudly, and takes a tiny step back . You and Mike lean forwards and you look to Santana, taking a few steps closer before all eyes go to Noah.

"Come on, Puckerman." She says, nodding to the gadget, "You're the boss."

He huffs and grabs the Geiger, opening the first drawer and hovers the metal rod of the machine over the clothing. You let out a breath as the static sound increases and Noah glances up at Santana, shaking his head in disbelief. "Jesus…" he says quietly, looking back down and pulls out a small backpack from the drawer, running the rod over it and stopping when the static increases tenfold.

"Call the team." Noah says, looking at you and Mike. Mike nods and goes to the phone as Santana looks at you through the window. You tilt your head and she looks back at Noah, letting out a heavy sigh.

* * *

"You know," you sigh as you slide into the booth, across from Santana. "As much as I hate to admit it, you were pretty impressive today." You say with a small smile.

Santana looks up from her crossword puzzle and eyes you.

"Usually when someone compliments you, you say thank you." You tease, leaning forwards to rest your folded arms on the table as Santana cracks a faint smile. "Finally!" you laugh, smiling widely at her as she leans back in the booth, letting a full smile show. "Do you know how long I've been trying to get you to actually smile?" you ask.

"Congratulations." She chuckles, fiddling with her pen, "You succeeded."

"You're using pen?" you ask and she nods, "Must be pretty confident."

"I always am." She states.

You hum, holding her stare before she looks back down at the puzzle. You tap your fingers against your arm before straightening your back and sighing, moving to get up.

"About…what I said earlier." She starts and you slowly lower back to the booth. She glances up and shakes her head at herself before wetting her lips, "I didn't mean it. I mean…I did but shouldn't made a scene and put you on the spot. Especially in front of idiot one and two." She says.

You smile at her words and nod, "Thank you…but you were kind of right."

"Oh I know." She says and you roll your eyes with a smile, making her let out a chuckle. "Still. This week has…this case has just been stressful; pissing me off." She mumbles, looking back at the crossword while lifting her pen to chew lightly on the end.

"I get that. But hey, you solved the case." You point out and Santana shakes her head with a scrunch of her nose.

"No. It was a brilliant idea, I agree, but Noah texted me. The radioactive measurements weren't high enough to cause any central nervous system damage."

You frown and she nods, "It might not have caused nerve damage but I'm pretty positive his immune system is shot."

"And we're back at phase one." She huffs, narrowing her eyes at the puzzle. She groans and tosses the paper to you before doing the same with the pen. "23 across." She says, running her hands over her face before leaving them on her cheeks, elbows resting against the table as you pick it up and read the hint.

"Slang word for unmitigated effrontery or impudence?" you ask her, glancing up and she nods, holding her hand out.

"I have no idea what the-"

"Oh, chutzpa!" you exclaim with a smile and she scrunches her nose.

"What the hell is chutzpa?" she asks before shaking her head, "How did you even know that?"

"My granddad said it a lot." You shrug and Santana tilts her head, studying you carefully with a faint smile making you blush and look down.

"Pierce, Lopez," Mike calls from the café entrance. Santana rolls her eyes and you look over at him as he waves you over before putting his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Puck wants us in the office."

* * *

"Did you come up with anything?" Santana asks as the three of you step into the office. Noah lowers his hand from his chin, uncrossing his other arm and puts both hands on his hips as he nods faintly. "Fantastic," she says sarcastically, "What is it?"

"As you know, the radioactive measurement levels weren't high enough to cause nervous system damage."

"Pierce and I already know his immune system is destroyed." She says. Mike lifts a brow at you, and you shrug, sitting on the edge of the table and cross your legs.

"Right, but the levels not only destroyed his immune system, they were high enough to cause tumors." He says and you furrow your brows.

"Tumors should've shown up on an MRI." You tell him and he nods while fixing the cuffs of his shirt.

"They might on a Pet scan." He says before nodding to the three of you, "Do one. Check his cervical spine."

You get up to follow Santana and Mike, stopping when you see Noah run his hand over his head, shaking it slightly as he stares at the whiteboard.

"Noah?" you ask carefully and he lifts his head, looking at you and the others. "What's wrong?"

"It's not going to be good news."

* * *

"Mr. Tyson," you say as you step into Marcus's room.

His father gets to his feet quickly and you bite your bottom lip, looking at your hands sadly before lifting your gaze, "It isn't good news. The piece of metal you gave your son was from an instrument used to test wells. Obviously people aren't supposed to dump radioactive material but…well, they do." You tell him and he shifts, crossing his arms as he looks between your eyes, waiting for you to continue.

"What do you do now? What has to be done?" he asks, the two of you glancing at Santana and Mike hooking Marcus up for treatment and checking his clipboard.

"Anyone who came in contact with the piece will need immediate treatment for radiation sickness."

"So…" he smiles quickly, "So there is a treatment?"

You give a small smile at his hopeful tone and expression as he looks at his son, and glance at Santana. She lifts her gaze from the clipboard, to you, and gives you a faint nod.

"Transfusions. We try to balance the fluid and electrolytes but…Marcus…" Mr. Tyson looks at you at his son's name, his hopeful smile faltering at your tone, "He's had much more exposure." You say regretfully.

"How much more?"

"About the equivalent of seventy thousand chest x-rays." You say, furrowing your brows to keep your composure, "His ability to create white blood cells has been completely destroyed."

"That's why he can't fight off this infection?"

"Yes." You nod, glancing back at Mike and Santana finishing up. They both look at you before Mike looks at Santana, her looking at him before looking back at you. "He's going to need a bone marrow transplant." Mr. Tyson blinks hard and shakes his head, running his hands down his face as you shift. "We also did another Pet scan. Marcus has a cavernous angioma within his spinal cord. A tumor. It's what's been causing the shocks and CNS symptoms."

You wait as he hangs his head, hands on his hips, and close your eyes, hating that you were the one having to tell him this.

"He...He has a _tumor_…in his spinal cord." He repeats slowly, blinking at he looks up at you, his eyes glistening with unshed tears and your throat swells.

"Um…" you begin to nod when Mike comes over, touching Mr. Tysons shoulder to get his attention.

"The cord is made up of strings." He says, glancing at you to make sure you're okay as you shake your head and look to the side, "Like a kite string. The surgeon should be able to easily separate the strings and extract the tumor. But, surgery for someone like Marcus, considering his condition, is extremely risky."

You turn and leave the room as Mike begins to tell him without surgery Marcus's breathing and heart may stop, going towards the stairs hallway.

You run your hand over your face, holding it on top of your head as you swallow the lump in your throat and lean against the wall closest to the stairs. You watch another doctor come down from the stairs, giving you a polite nod as he walks by and into the main area of the floor, before closing your eyes and holding back from crying.

Your shoulders jump as you hold back a cry, dropping your hand to your forehead when you hear the click of heels close by.

"Pierce?"

You shake your head, turning your head away from Santana as you try to discreetly wipe under your eyes before glancing at her when she moves in front of you. "You're crying." She states and you roll your eyes.

"Is that obvious?" you snap quietly, wincing as Santana nods, looking taken back. "Sorry." You mumble, shaking your head at yourself.

She doesn't say anything for a while, just stands with you until your breathing returns to normal and you start to feel embarrassed over how you acted.

"I get it." She finally says and you slowly lift your gaze from the floor to meet her gaze. "It sucks having to deliver bad news to the families and patients themselves." She sighs, running a hand through her free hair, stepping towards the space against the wall next to you. She leans back against it as you are and wets her lips. "My very first case with Puck and Mike, our patient was a sixteen year old boy. He had tuberculoma _and_ rabies." She says and you nod faintly, letting her go on, "It took us forever to figure out what the hell he had but…in the end we didn't figure it out soon enough. I was the one who broke the news to him and his family." She says slowly, staring ahead of her. "My first case, and we couldn't save him. I couldn't save him." She chuckles coldly at herself. "I know how it feels. Like it's your fault." She says, turning her head to look at you.

You swallow, staring at her glistening eyes, and she wets her lips, "It's not. Not everything is in your control and sooner or later you're going to realize that. But knowing you can't prevent everything doesn't mean you can't prevent the majority. You never forget those you couldn't save, but you just have to focus on all of the people you _did_; those you _will_." She finishes in a whisper and lifts her gaze from the space between you, offering a faint reassuring smile. "And you'll have me with you so you won't suck that much." She adds making you shake your head and crack a smile.

"You had something going for you and you ruined it." You tell her through a chuckle, looking back at her as she laughs, nodding.

"Yeah, well, a little too much sentimental shit going on." She says, slowly pushing from the wall and heading away from the stairs as you take a breath and rest your head back against the wall. "Pierce…you're okay?" she asks, pausing from leaving and you give her a thankful smile.

"Yeah. Thanks, Santana."

She bites her lip and nods, holding your gaze for a moment before leaving.

* * *

You sink down onto your couch with a tea mug in hand and a throw wrapped around your shoulders. It was around eight in the evening and you just got home from walking Chess, trying to clear your mind of Marcus and his father.

The surgery had gone well, the surgeon was able to get all of the tumor, but the infection was ever still present and cause another intestinal perforation. His white blood count continued to drop and reality was that no matter what you and the team gave him it was unlikely he would be able to fight off the infection.

You slowly poke your tongue out to wet your lips and lift your mug up when someone knocks at your door. You shush Chess before he can even think about barking and get up, moving to the door while keeping the throw around you.

You pull it open without looking through the peep hole and smile sadly as Mike holding a case of beer and Noah, hands in jacket pockets, stand in front of you with similar expressions to match your own. You step to the side and let them in, going to close the door when Santana slides in front of the door from leaning against the wall. Your smile grows slowly and Santana shrugs, lifting a bottle of scotch in her right hand.

"In case you're not a fan of beer." She offers and you lean against the side of the door, smiling at her as she walks in.

* * *

** A/N: Okay, personally, I loved Santana in this chapter. Besides the first bit when she was bitching at Brittany but eh. So Britt is chipping away at San's exterior bit by bit, AND you got a little background on Santana. Also, the cuteness that is Santana going out of her way to find Britt and try to cheer her up. Friends maybe? There will be more Santana history in...not next chapter but the one after that I believe, not entirely sure, Id have to look over the doc again but I'm almost positive. And you for sure get to know some more about Brittany next chapter! God, I'm so excited, we're moving forwards quickly!**

**Also I wanted to say before anyone asks, this episode it wasn't stated if the patient had survived or not. It obviously would lean more o him not surviving but I like to believe maybe a miracle happened and he did survive somehow. So, whichever outcome you'd prefer, go with that. **

**-B**


	16. Chapter 17

**A/N: Salutations! A quick thank you two everyone who reviewed, glad you're liking the story and sticking with it lol. Holy crap, so most of you if not all know about Naya's little "coming out" on The View, right? Although I'm not sure if she was just being totally smooth with it or it was a joke, hopefully she'll tweet about it OR comment on it when she's back on the show tomorrow! 3 days in a row! They really need to give her a permanent spot already, they love her!**

**So, now, lol, here's chapter 17.**

**-B**

* * *

December, 2014:

"Ladies." Kurt greets you and Quinn before looking at Santana, "Satan."

"That's getting old, fairy." She says with a smirk when Kurt's smug smile falls at the name.

You and Quinn exchange amused looks while Santana rolls her eyes at the man, turning her attention back to the file in her hands. The three of you were standing and chatting, more so you and Quinn, beside the reception desk in the clinic when Kurt came bounding over.

"You know, the gay jokes don't really have much of an effect when you're gay too." He says, putting his hands on his hips as he cocks one to the side.

Santana hums indifferently and flips a page, "I'm not nearly as flamboyant."

"No, but you're butch as hell." He smirks and Santana snaps her head up, eyes wide before narrowing into a dangerous glare. Kurt's smirk deepens as you downcast your eyes, holding back a laugh, Quinn snickering against her own clinic file.

Santana pulls her gaze from Kurt, smacking Quinn's arm.

"Sorry." She holds her hand and file up in defense and Santana rolls her eyes before looking at you, biting your lip to keep from smiling too big.

"Come on, that was pretty funny." You admit.

"No, it really wasn't." she states and you look at her pointedly, folding your arms. She arches a challenging brow.

"Santana, the last time we went to the lounge you were wearing a camouflage vest." You state, "And when I ran into you at the grocery store you were wearing combat boots, a beanie, and a red flannel."

Quinn and Kurt burst out laughing as Santana takes a calming breath, you smiling victoriously.

"That doesn't prove I'm butch."

"You have that walk."

"What walk?" Santana questions quickly with her brows raised in shock.

"That walk." You shrug.

She open and closes her mouth, furrowing her brows in thought before shaking her head and crossing her arms, "I have a very _feminine_ walk."

"You might as well show your boxers and have your jeans down to your knees."

Santana stutters, appalled by the thought and plasters on a scowl, closing her file with attitude before pushing it into your free hands. "You can deal with this." She states before looking at the young receptionist with a sultry smile, "Please make sure you log Dr. Pierce's next patient under my hours."

The young woman nods slowly, blushing at the attention and Santana winks, thanking her sweetly before flipping her hair over her shoulder and sending you a mocking wink. You smile, shaking your head at her as you watch her walk away with an added sway to her hips, and glance at Kurt and Quinn watching you knowingly.

"Neal Morrison?" you call out before they can start and smile at the child getting up with his mother. "Follow me." You tell them before glancing at your friends and spinning on your heel.

* * *

You admit sometimes you can be a little airheaded but this was just ridiculous.

You swear Dean Schuester had just recently renovated, creating a locker room in the hospital because there is no way you could've gone months without knowing this was here. Whatever, better late than never you guess. And at least now you could keep an emergency toiletries kit in your assigned locker for when you have to pull an all-nighter, or just in case you forget to brush your teeth on a rush morning.

You struggle with the combo, messing up your first few tries and exclaim triumphantly when it pops open your third try.

"Oh you actually found it."

You roll your eyes and look over your shoulder as Santana walks in, slipping off her lab coat.

"You could've told me." You tell her and she shrugs, moving to her locker a few down from yours.

"Nah, it was more fun watching you wonder."

"So what you really mean is, you find my struggles entertaining?"

"Precisely." She smirks, looking at you with a smirk while beginning to unbutton her blouse. You arch a brow at her and she arches one back, slipping her shirt from her body.

You let yourself stare for a second, appreciating how her purple bra emphasizes her already bodacious bust.

"Enjoying the view?" she asks with a knowing twinkle in her eye and you blink, lifting your gaze and shrug.

"What view?"

Her smirk falters and you send her a smug smile turning to grab your scarf.

"Oh please, do you know how many times I've caught you leering?"

"Probably as many times as I've caught you." You reply easily, pulling your coat on. She snorts in amusement and you smile to yourself.

"So…Did Hummel cordially invite you to his Holiday shindig?"

You frown, "Uh, no? He's having a Christmas thing?" you ask, glancing over your shoulder.

Santana pulls a warm looking sweater over her head before nodding and swapping her skirt for jeans, "He's had one for the past five years. And if Rachel was here you'd be getting an excruciatingly boring lecture on how not everyone celebrates Christmas, _therefore_ it's only proper to wish people a Happy Holidays." She looks at you and you scrunch your nose. "Yeah."

"Well yeah, no he hasn't invited me."

"Oops." She smirks and you drop your shoulders before thinking and smiling sweetly. Santana's smirk falters and you tilt your head at her, stepping closer until you're a bodies are only a few inches from touching.

"Is this your way of asking me to be your plus one?" you tease.

Santana wets her lips slowly, biting her bottom as she scans her eyes down your body, slowly lifting while releasing her bottom lip with a seductive grin.

"Sorry, Pierce. Maybe next time." She rasps and you inhale sharply as her grin grows.

"Brittany? Mike told me you were coming here and I-Santana!"

You step back as Santana slowly looks at Kurt with a clenched jaw, and give him a quick smile, your cheeks burning as he looks between the two of you with a sly smirk of his own.

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"Guess we'll never know, Porcelain." She states, retrieving her things from her locker. She closes the locker, shrugging her coat on before nodding at you, "Later, Pierce," and leaving the room.

"Oh my god, that was totally something, wasn't it?" Kurt asks excitedly, "I totally walked in on something!" he shrieks with a beaming smile and you just stare at him until he comes to a realization. "Oh. Ohhh, I totally just walked in on something." He says, wincing, and sends you an apologetic smile as you roll your eyes and close your locker.

"Your timing is impeccable, Kurt." You state, "Anyway, why were you searching me out?"

"Right. Earlier I meant to invite the three of you to my Holiday Hangout, Christmas Eve, but both you and Santana left before I could."

"Holiday Hangout…that's what you call it?"

"Rachel gets upset and goes all professor on me when I call it a Christmas party." He waves it off and you nod, "So you in?"

"I don't think so." You say softly and Kurt pouts, "I mean, I'd love to go but I usually head home for the holidays. Spend it with the family, you know?"

"You don't sound too excited about that…" he says curiously and you shrug after a second, "Well. I'll keep a place for you at the table in case you change your mind later on. Besides, there's still a week before the date." He smiles and you chuckle, linking your arm with his as you leave the room.

* * *

Two days before Christmas Eve you're sitting in bed, legs crossed indian style as you sip tea and flip through one of the large photo album books your mother gave you a couple years ago for Christmas. It was filled with photos of the holiday's from the time you were an infant to when you were twenty-seven. You don't have any siblings so it was mostly just you and your parents in the photos; the occasional group picture with your cousins, or standing between your grandparents.

It was a little harder for you growing up without any other children in the house. You were never the most popular; always sitting alone at a table with your crayons and picture books. Even in junior high you were shunned for being smart. Yeah. The only decent years of school were senior year and your years in post-secondary.

With all that said, there was always one person who you called your best friend. Your dad. He would be the one to sweep you off your feet, planting you on his shoulders as a kid, carrying you up to bed where'd you'd wonder how you seemingly teleported from the living room couch to your bedroom, changed into your rainbow pajamas.

When you got older, junior high and high school, he was the one you'd talk to about not feeling like you had any place in the school, and he'd just sit with you and listen before giving you a pep talk and taking your mind off your troubles with gallons of bubble gum ice cream and medical and mystery television shows and movies.

He was the first person you came out to. The one who just pressed a kiss to your temple and whispered that he always did and always will love you the same no matter what.

And so when he fell ill, you were devastated. It didn't help that the doctors had no idea what was wrong with him, only to discover he had pancreatic cancer and only a few months; unless he took treatment, and maybe he would've lived a year. But he'd be in pain, and he said he knew that the pain wouldn't only cause suffering from him but for you and your mother, everyone around him. You didn't understand why he wouldn't just try it but soon enough you accepted it and just spent all of your time, when you weren't in lectures, in the hospital with him.

He was the reason you became who you are today. You want to be able to identify illnesses and treat them before they get to the point that there is nothing that can be done but wait for death to steal another life.

Santana was right when she said you got attached to patients, but it wasn't your fault. You felt a sense of duty and you wanted to make sure no one would suffer if you could help them. Because you know the pain of losing someone so close to you.

Which is why you're holding your phone in hand, dialing your mothers number and bringing the phone to your ear.

It had been twelve years since your father passed away and each year it gets harder to go home and be reminded of how he's no longer there to celebrate the holidays with you and your family. It was too hard to sit around watching the same movies you did with him, drink eggnog with a hint of cinnamon as he always liked it, and bake his favorite recipe of pecan pie while wearing hideous Christmas sweaters he insisted made the holiday season.

Every year it was the same thing and you don't think you will be able to handle it and hold it together.

"_Brittany, darling! I'm so glad you called, what time will you be coming in? I haven't received your flight information._"

You force a faint smile and pet Chess slowly, scratching behind his ear when he glances at you, "I…that's actually why I called, Mom." You tell her, clearing your throat, "I uh, won't be coming home for Christmas this year." You hold your breath as she's silent on the other end and swallow the lump in your throat.

"_I'm sorry, sweetheart, I don't understand_?"

You wince at the confused and hurt tone and run your free hand over your face, holding your bangs back, "I know. I'm so, so sorry, it's just…the team and I have this really tricky case and we haven't gotten anywhere." You lie, closing your eyes tightly as you shake your head at yourself.

"_A case?_" she says slowly, "_Brittany, it's Christmas_." She pushes and you hear the soft Christmas music in the background turn off. "_Are you sure there is no way you can get someone else to take your place_?"

"Mom." You shake your head with furrowed brows, "I wouldn't ask someone else to forfeit their holiday. It's my _job_. A-and it's only this year; you'll have the rest of the family anyway."

"_Yes, but it won't be the same. You're my daughter_." She states firmly.

"Mom, we saw each other a few weeks ago. I'm still coming down in February."

"_No. No, if you can't come here then I'll come to you_."

"No!" you exclaim, wincing, "No. You can't do that. The rest of the family doesn't need to miss both of us. Please just…stay home and have fun. For the both of us."

"_I'm not happy, Brittany_."

"I know." You mumble, biting your bottom lip, "Did you get the gifts?"

She sighs heavily, "_I did_."

"Good."

"_This is the one and only time you will not be home for Christmas, am I making myself clear_?" she asks in that motherly tone and you faintly smile, looking at Chess and petting his head softly.

"Of course. I'll call you later. Love you."

"_Love you too, darling_."

You hang up and drop your phone into your lap, holding your cheeks as you stare down at Chess, watching him sleep for a few minutes. You scratch the back of your head and grab your cell, sending Kurt a text that you'll be at the party, before placing the device on the night table and reaching over, flicking the lights off.

* * *

**A/N: Was this short? I don't know how many words...oh well. Some background behind Brittany and her family! Also, San and Britt getting more comfortable around each other eh ;) Openly flirting...hahaha so next chapter is Christmas and Kurt's 'Holiday Hangout' where you get some fun stuff with the "crew" and more cute Brittana; well I think it's cute. **

**-B**


	17. Chapter 18

**A/N: I am so glad you are all loving this story, it makes me really happy actually lol! So okay, you know how I said more of Santana's background in this chapter? So no, it's actually the next chapter, I PROMISE! I actually forgot I split the Christmas Party in half because it was a long ass chapter otherwise and I'm not that nice hehehe. So thank you for the reviews and follows and favorites and I'll see ya'll Wednesday.**

**...Well not see you but you know what I mean ;) Lates!**

**-B**

* * *

December, 2014:

You pull into the large parking lot outside Kurt's condo building and thank the heavens when you find an open spot not far from the entrance. You felt guilty since your conversation with your mother a few days ago and haven't been in the whole happy holiday's mood. You worked hard to not let it affect you at work and you're thankful the team didn't get a huge case, but a few of your friends seemed to notice you lack of cheer. Especially Kurt…and Quinn.

You snort and look to the passenger seat as you turn the vehicle off, shaking your head in faint amusement. You swear it was your destiny since birth to end up at this hospital and become friends with everyone in the crew. They were such great people, all different characters that had one thing in common. They were total kids at heart.

You grab Quinn's secret Santa gift with a chuckle, a bottle of Merlot wearing a traditional red bow around its neck and a nice infinity scarf seeing as she kept walking around holding her chin to her chest while outside.

You step out of the vehicle with the wrapped box and bottle, and push the door closed with your backside, making sure your coat didn't catch in the door before turning and heading up to the building. You press your arm closer to your body, keeping your clutch from falling from under your arm, and manage to knock at Kurt's door before looking over yourself.

"Ms. Pierce," he greets with a twinkle in his eye and an almost empty glass of wine, "So glad you made it."

"How many glasses have you had, Kurt?" you chuckle as you step inside the condo, smiling at Finn and Mike standing further back in the foyer when they smile and lift their beers to you in greeting.

"I want to say my third." He says and you hum skeptically, thanking him softly when he takes the gifts and your clutch, setting them on one of the coffee tables in his small foyer seating area. You slip your coat off after taking off your heeled boots and drape it onto the back of the fancy sofa the rest of the crew's jackets were on and take Quinn's gifts into your hands before turning to face Kurt.

"Damn, Brittany. I said this was casual." He chuckles and you frown looking down at your choice of outfit. Black skinny pants, a cream peplum top, a short red blazer with a crisp collar, and a long gold necklace.

"This is casual." You tell him, looking up. He lifts his brows and shakes his head, finishing his wine. "Fine, dressy casual." You give him and he just motions for you to head further into the place. You flip your hair over your shoulder and smile as the kitchen, dining room and living room come into view, with the stairs to the second floor to your left.

"Hey, guys. Merry Chr-Happy Holidays!" you begin and quickly correct yourself when Rachel looks over and narrows her eyes. "I come baring gifts." You joke, holding up the presents and hand them to Kurt when he holds his hands out. You watch him walk over and place them in front of his fireplace with the rest of the secret Santa presents before your eyes land on Santana lounging on the couch with her legs crossed, a half empty glass of wine in her hand with her phone in the other. You take note of her tight dark blue skinny jeans, fluffy black and white turtle neck, a long silver necklace holding a cute silver tree pendant at the end. And her hair was in full loose waves. She looked banging.

_Banging_, you question yourself with a frown, _do people even say that_?

"I believe the dress code was casual." Mercedes says quietly, sliding up beside you. You chuckle as does she and give her a hug. "Merry Christmas."

"Mercedes, not everyone-" Rachel begins with a huff.

"Oh can it, Rachel. I'll say what I want." She rolls her eyes and Rachel looks at her in shock but before she can continue to argue Quinn puts her hands on her shoulders and whispers something to her, gently pushing her in the direction of Santana, Sam, Noah, and Sebastian in the living room.

"Merry Christmas." Quinn whispers with a wink at you and Mercedes before she pulls you in a hug. You squeeze back and she pulls away, putting her hands on her hips. "I thought you were going home for Christmas?" she asks and Mercedes nods, lifting her glass to offer you a drink of your own.

"Oh, Please." You nod to Mercedes before answering Quinn, "I was but I'm taking time off in February anyway and I didn't want to leave in case something came up with the team." You tell them, and it's not a complete lie. They nod in understanding and Mercedes hands you a glass. "We're not having duck again are we?" you ask and Kurt snorts coming from behind you.

"Christmas is a time for Turkey and Ham, Britt. Besides, duck is a once a year type of thing." He says with a sigh, handing Mercedes his glass to refill. "Now," he says, facing you completely, "Please tell me you like games."

"I love games!" You smile widely and he tilts his head.

"Taboo?"

"Oh, I kick ass at Taboo." You nod with a sly grin and he links his arm with yours, leading you into the living room.

"I call Brittany for my team!" Kurt declares and you chuckle, shaking your head as you lift your glass to your lips.

"Perfect, I can kick both your asses." Santana says smoothly, lifting her eyes from her phone with a smug smirk, leaning forwards and putting her phone on the coffee table. You roll your eyes and plop yourself right beside the Latina, crossing your legs as you settle back into the couch after grabbing the Taboo buzzer, lifting a brow at her.

"Bring it, Lopez."

* * *

You were on a roll. Well your team, Blue, was on a roll. You, Kurt, Quinn, Sebastian and Finn were kicking ass.

Santana's team, Red, consisting of herself, Noah, Mike, Rachel, Mercedes, and Sam, were doing pretty well but no match for you. Well you were tied at the moment but about two minutes earlier you were leading by a ton of points. And they even had more people.

At the moment it was Kurt's turn to read the card with Rachel peering over his shoulder holding the buzzer right by his ear, staring unblinking at the card in his hands.

"Can you back up a bit, Rach?" Kurt asks, throwing an annoyed glance her way.

"What's wrong, Hummel?" Santana asks, brow arched, "If you were really as good as you believe you are there shouldn't be any problem with my girl up in your grill." She says, waving her hand in front of her.

"Thank you, Santana." Rachel smiles before putting her game face back on.

"Your girl?" Quinn questions in amusement, sitting on the other side of Mercedes seated next to Kurt.

"Oh she didn't tell you?" Santana smirks and Quinn rolls her eyes as you shake your head at their banter.

"Yeah, yeah, Lopez."

"Why do you think I picked her for my team?" she questions, "Because we rock together. In more ways than one." Quinn clenches her jaw and you stare at Santana in surprise as Rachel's cheeks blush, her mouth opening and closing in her own shock.

"Santana! I'm flatter but-"

"Calm your tits, Berry. I'm just getting in her head." She rolls her eyes and Quinn relaxes as Rachel rolls her eyes, looking back at the card. "It's called strategy."

"Bad mouthing isn't a strategy." You say and she looks at you, "People only use it when they're losing or know they're beaten. Much like you are now." You smile sweetly and Santana narrows her eyes at you. A round of ou's go around and Santana scowls as you laugh quietly.

"Hurry up and flip the timer." She tells Mercedes, leaning back in the couch with crossed arms.

You lean forwards, ready to add more points to the scoreboard, aka the pad in Mercedes's hands, and nod at Kurt when he glances at you.

"Okay, you take this with a tequila shot." He says.

"Lime!" Sebastian nods and Mercedes rolls her eyes while giving a tick.

"To take a selfie you need a?"

"Phone!"

"Camera." Quinn provides calmly, sending Santana a smile. You look at her and Santana just rolls her eyes.

"Bilingual means you can talk in a different?"

"Language."

"The little papers we give out at work."

"Scripts?" Finn suggests and Kurt nods, waving his hand.

"Whole word."

"Prescription!" you shout and he nods, taking another card.

"Better hurry…" Mercedes sings and you shoot her a harmless glare as Kurt stutters.

"Uhhh, oh! All eyes on me, in the center of the ring, just like a?" he asks, pointing at you.

"Circus!" you scream right before the sand runs out and you jump up, pointing at the timer before leaning forwards and slapping your hand against Kurt's. You high five Quinn and Sebastian as they do the same with each other before sinking back into the couch with a satisfied smile. "We're so good."

"Give me the damn cards." Mercedes mumbles, handing Quinn the timer and note pad, Kurt taking the buzzer from Rachel. "Boy, don't be leaning into me." She warns him when he does, and he holds his hands up in defense before leaning in again, making sure not to push against her. "Alright then. Let's get this over with. Satan, Rachel, _focus_." She says firmly, doing the 'I'm watching you' motion to them both as they shift to the edges of their seats.

"Uh, hello, we're here too." Noah says and Santana holds her hand out to shut him up. He throws his hands up before crossing his arms with a huff, Mike and Sam continuing to busy themselves with their phones.

"And…go." Quinn says.

"Satan, you claim Kurt has what coming out of his ass?"

"Rainbows." You glance at Kurt, the boy rolling his eyes at Santana, and smile in amusement.

"What does Alvin want for Christmas?"

"Hula Hoop!"

"Hoop, but go ahead." Quinn says and Mercedes rolls her eyes while tossing the card.

"Brittany's blazer is?"

"Scarlet!" Rachel exclaims and Mercedes goes to toss the card before doing a double take at her and arching a pointed brow.

"Red, hurry up." Santana orders.

"Oh, Sam!" Mercedes shouts for his attention and he startles, straightening in his spot with wide eyes. "You told me some nonsense about an Anthropology class and said this was a portable find?"

"Artifact?"

"How the hell…" Sebastian begins.

"Mhm!" she grins, tossing the card. You look at Sam, looking very happy with himself, and look back at Mercedes. "Blaine used to do this, badly, when he got drunk."

"Who's Blaine?"

"Piano!" Rachel shouts quickly.

Santana nods before adding for your sake, "Kurt's annoying asshole of an ex." You purse your lips and nod slowly.

"Satan, you can't do this no matter how hard you try."

"Refrain from insulting all you idiots." She smirks before chuckling and crossing her legs, "Chill, I'm kidding. Whistle."

"Time!" your entire team calls as Rachel brushes off her shoulders with a pleased grin.

"Oh, and I believe that is five points, keeping it tied up." Noah grins and Quinn scoffs.

"Puck, you didn't answer once."

"Whatever, my team's still going to win."

"My team." Santana corrects. "So, tie breaker."

"Choose one player from each team to go head to head, and we have someone read the questions out to you."

"Santana." The red team, all but Rachel choose. Rachel clamps her mouth shut, holding back from arguing, and huffs as Santana grins smugly, looking at Brittany.

"Britt, you want to go against her?" Kurt asks and you shrug. "Good. Mike, you're neutral so you be the host." He says and Mike nods, taking the cards from Kurt along with the pad. "Ten cards, whoever answers first gets the point. One with the most when the ten cards are finished, claims the win with their team."

"Okay." You nod as you switch places with Mike so he's between you and Santana. You two sit on the edge of the couch, looking at each other as Mike shuffles the cards, picking on up.

"Alright. Genie from Aladdin." He says and you beam.

"Robin Williams."

"Not a thesaurus." He says next.

"Dictionary." Santana says quickly and you close your mouth with narrowed eyes as she smirks.

"A genre consisting of magical creatures like fairies."

"Fantasy." Santana slips in before you and you pull your head back in surprise. "Shut up."

"A groom wears this."

"Tux!" you say and he looks at you, "Tuxedo." You roll your eyes with a smile.

"More than a giggle or a chuckle."

"Laugh." You smirk at Santana and she huffs.

"You get jaundice when this-"

"Liver!" you and Santana both shut quickly and stare at each other in shock. You smile faintly and her lips twitch upwards.

"Okay, skip that one then." Mike says, tossing the card and picking a new one, "Gay not…"

"Straight." Santana says and you scowl.

"When something internal is wrong patients have to undergo?"

"Surgery." She says and you widen your eyes.

"Brittany's first case, the patient had a quinine?"

"Allergy." You say quickly, jumping at how close it was. You can't let her win or she would hold it over you forever.

"Tomorrow is?"

"Christmas!" Santana says with a growing smile.

"Brittany!" Quinn shouts and you send her a sharp 'shut up' glare.

"They're the modern stone age family." Mike say and you and Santana both look at him with an arched brow.

"What?" you ask as Santana shakes her head at him.

"What?" Mike asks innocently, "That's the only way you'd get it. You know? From the town of bedrock? It's a yabba dabba doo time..." he sings and you furrow your brows as Santana slaps her thigh.

"Flinstones!"

"No!" Kurt and Quinn exclaim as Rachel screams in victory. You pout, watching Santana as she stands up slowly, making a show as she curtsey's, sending you a wink before high fiving Mercedes and tensing when Rachel hugs her tightly.

"In your face!" Rachel shouts, pointing at Kurt and Quinn before you. Santana places her hand flat against Rachel's forehead and gives a swift push, sending her a few steps back before she brushes off a fluff.

"Now, now," Santana says with a smile, "Everyone calm down. No need to go at each other's throats." She says as you slump into the couch with a frown. "Besides. Brittany is the real loser here."

You scowl at her and she just smiles widely, her dimple showing, making your heart melt while she clasps her hands in front of her and lets out a content sigh.

"I'm hungry." She states, looking at Kurt and he rolls his eyes, turning and heading to the kitchen.

"I couldn't find my holiday table runner so we're all dishing up our food and eating in the living room." He calls and you all jump up, following after him quickly.

* * *

You groan after finishing everything on your plate and lean back in the couch, resting your head against the back of the couch, closing your eyes.

You hear a few chuckle and crack and eye open, smiling sheepishly as Mike, Sam, Rachel, and Quinn shake their heads in amusement with smiles. You look at the rest of the group and see them smiling while continuing to eat and glance at Santana last, putting a piece of turkey in her mouth and chewing.

You smile and she pauses her action, glancing at you with her cheeks puffed out a bit, eyes wide.

"What?" she asks slowly and you chuckle, poking her cheek gently and quickly. She narrows her eyes.

"You look like a chipmunk." You tell her and she rolls her eyes, holding back a smile, and swallows.

"And you look like a walrus." She says.

You drop your jaw and she chuckles, leaning away from you when you lightly smack her arm. "Hey! I'm eating here!" she laughs and you stick your tongue out. She scoffs with an eye roll, looking back at her plate before glancing back at you and sticking her tongue out childishly.

You snort a laugh and she gives a small smile before you both look away from each other, freezing at everyone staring at you in surprise; minus Quinn and Kurt smiling knowingly.

You and Santana exchange glances before clearing your throat and busying yourselves with something.

You put your plate down and cross your legs, starting a conversation with Mike about his latest clinic hours, if there was any amusing stories he had to share, while Santana goes back to eating her food, never taking her eyes off the plate.

A good twenty minutes later everyone was finished and putting their dishes away when an arm drapes over your shoulder. You look to the side and give Sam a confused smile when he grins.

"I can deal with your plate, Brittany." He offers and you glance at Quinn talking with Sebastian, and she rolls her eyes at Sam.

"Hey, Fish Lips, mind moving out of my way?" Santana sasses from behind you. You look at her and she stares at Sam, motioning for him to move with her hands full of plates.

"Uh, yeah, sorry." He says awkwardly and pulls his arm back, scratching the back of his head as he leaves.

"Thanks." You say quietly when Santana steps closer, waiting for the dishwasher.

She arches a brow, "For?"

"Sam. He's been really persistent lately." You shrug and she hums.

"Tell him to fuck off. I'm sure he'd leave you alone after that." She grins and you chuckle, nodding.

"I couldn't do that."

"Right, you're too nice. I'll do it." She shrugs and you smile, "Because nothing would please me more than to watch him walk off with his tail between his legs." She adds pointedly and you nod skeptically. She sighs dramatically and puts the plates on the counter, beginning to load the dishes that everyone left on the counter. "Here." She holds her hand out for your dishes and you hand them over with a kind smile before Mercedes is dragging you off.

"How did I not see it before?" she asks, mostly to herself, as you groan and hold your hands over your face. "You're totally into her aren't you?" she asks with a growing smile and you cross your arms. She squeals quietly and you shake your head in faint amusement.

"Why do you all get so excited about this?"

"All? Who else knows?"

"Quinn and Kurt." You mumble and she nods, accepting my answer.

"And to answer your question, because we're all friends and so when two people in our crew like each other obviously it's a big deal. Plus Santana is like never this tamed. The amount of times she's insulted one of us since you got here has decreased drastically. Also we've never met anyone she was with."

You shake your head, holding your hands out, "Whoa, we-we are not together." You tell her and she shrugs.

"Okay, but you like her and I think she likes you. I've never seen her like this. Especially with a girl."

"Don't say that!" you whine and Mercedes frowns in confusion, "My hopes are just going to go up only for me to be crushed when it turns out she doesn't feel the same way." You explain and she laughs.

"Girl." Is all she says before going back to the group. You just stare after her and blink.

* * *

**A/N: Do you know how much I laughed while writing this bit? I literally laughed so hard writing the Taboo scene, like all out silent hollering, clapping like a seal laugh. Like come on "Satan, you claim Kurt has what coming out of his ass?" and Rachel screaming "Scarlet!" That is gold. Like really. Don't judge. Lol, but yeah, damn, so funny. You must've at least smiled. So let...meh...know, peace!**

**-B**


	18. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey loves! Side note, don't know why I've been saying loves so much, for like months...interesting. same with lates, and cheers. very weird. But Anyway! So glad you all liked the last chapter and here FINALLY you learn more of Santana. This is one of my favorite chapters because the amount of Brittana and the fricken cuteness is like unbelievable. A few may get their wish but eh, have to read to find out. To the story!**

**-B**

* * *

December, 2014:

"Mercedes just told me you told her." Kurt says happily.

You hum, swallowing your glass of wine as you lean against the kitchen counter, "I didn't tell her. She figured it out. I thought I was being subtle about it but obviously I need to change my tactics." You tell him and he chuckles. It's then that you notice he's wearing a scarf and his jacket unbuttoned. "Where are you going?"

"We are going caroling." He shimmies and you scrunch your nose.

"I'm more of a dancer."

"Well you're party of our family now and this family is talented as hell." He says with a shrug.

"So modest." You chuckle and he shrugs.

"Half of us were in high school Glee clubs. Even Noah. Mike's a dancer too but he still sings sometimes." Kurt says, "So no excuses. Get your jacket and be ready to sing like never before."

You sigh dramatically and he rolls his eyes with a smile, taking your glass of wine and putting it down as you head for your jacket.

You see Finn, Sebastian, and Rachel putting their jackets and accessories on and give them smiles as you grab your own jacket.

"So you're all into this caroling thing?" you ask and Rachel beams.

"Singing is a way of life, Brittany."

"What?" you scrunch your nose in confusion and both Sebastian and Finn shake their heads behind the smaller girl, mouthing for you to 'just go with it'.

"Kurt and I have tried to convince everyone to form a Glee Club."

"A glee club…" you repeat, "Of like…thirty and forty year olds."

"Yes, why not?" she smiles and you glance back at Finn and Sebastian just shaking their heads.

"No, nothing. Good luck with…that." You say, slipping your jacket on and pull your mitts and scarf from your pockets, putting them on.

"It would be nice but with our schedules singing carols is enough. Nice little tradition." She nods, "Although, we do have a name." she whispers secretively with a wide smile. You lift your brows slightly, with a small smile. "New Directions." She says and you hum, nodding slowly.

"Okay, everybody out!" Kurt calls, opening his front door and motioning everyone out.

"Thank god." You mumble under your breath and get a clap on the shoulder from Finn.

You transfer your phone from your clutch into your pocket of your jacket and stick both hands in your pockets as you step out of the condo, Kurt closing and locking the door behind everyone. He then turns and smiles widely, rubbing his leather glove covered hands together.

You walk behind everyone, Finn the closest to you, and tilt your head with a fond smile as you watch Santana slip between Rachel and Quinn, bumping the blonde with her hip. Quinn stumbles and Rachel quickly moves, grabbing her girlfriend to keep her upright as Santana laughs, quickening her pace to fall beside Mercedes.

The eleven of you stop at the first house in the cul-de-sac Kurt led you to and you watch as they all relax. You step forwards, stopping between Finn and Mike and look at them in surprise when all the men start the do, do, do's in the beginning of 'Silver Bells'. In perfect harmony, you might add.

Finn begins the chorus with the other boys in background and Rachel starts the first verse.

You just stand there, watching and listening with an awed look at the group sings together like they'd been doing it all their life.

The lights of the house's front porch turn on and an elderly couple poke their heads out, smiling widely, obviously recognizing the group, and step out, listening with soft smiles.

You, well they, sing another song for the couple before they say goodbye and you all head a street over.

You stop in another cul-de-sac and Mike nudges your arm with his elbow, smiling as he tells you to 'watch this'. You look at him in confusion, following the group to stand on the little island in the middle of the cul-de-sac and Rachel steps forwards, turning and putting people in positions.

"Brittany, this is where it gets real. I'm sure you know this song, just join in whenever." She says with an encouraging smile and you nod slowly, "Okay, you stand in front of the Finn; beside Santana." She says and you move, sighing when you get to your spot.

Santana glances at you, and you share an amused eye roll at Rachel's behavior, facing her when she claps her hands and holds them up like a conductor.

"On three. Sebastian, one count after we begin." She says and you all nod. "One, two, three…"

"Christmas!" they all sing and you jump in surprise, Santana chuckling silently beside you at your reaction.

"The snow's coming down!" Sebastian sings.

"Christmas!" everyone sings again.

"I'm watching it fall…" he continues.

"Christmas!"

"Lots of people around…"

"Christmas!"

"Baby, please come home!" he gives it his all as you sing the 'Christmas!' quietly in the group of enthusiastic carolers. You continue in your part, Sebastian sharing lines with Mercedes. You lift your head and widen your eyes as almost every front door in the cul-de-sac was open, crowded with families standing and enjoying the show.

You do a double take when a raspy, beautiful voice catches your ear, and look at Santana in complete and utter awe, her cheeks and nose tinted pink from the cold and eyes squinted at the corners as she sang a few lines on her own.

"They're singing deck the halls. But it's not like Christmas at all…" she sings, "I remember when you were here. All the fun we had last year!" You watch her, amazed with her voice, despite how little of it was showcased just now, as Sebastian takes over once again.

Your eyes trace her features as you regard her softly and she ducks her head a bit before looking at you. You smile gently and she slowly smiles herself. You're smile widens before you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket and Santana's smile falters and her brows furrow in concern when you pull it out and frown, reading 'Missed Call: Mom'.

* * *

Apparently there were three entire cul-de-sacs around Kurt's condo who seemed to look forward to the 'New Directions' singing for them every year, and you were on your way to the second one. After singing 'Christmas (Baby, please come home)', you sang 'All I Want For Christmas Is You', 'Jingle Bells', and Rocking Around the Christmas Tree'. The traditional playlist. You rolled your eyes when Rachel told you that.

Now though, as you follow the group to the second destination, you look down at your phone and slow your strides, glancing up and back down, dialing your mother's number.

"_Hello_?"

"Hey, Mom." You smile faintly, looking up as you cross your one arm around yourself, watching everyone move further from you. "Merry Christmas Eve."

"_Merry Christmas Eve, honey_." She chuckles, "_How's the hospital on Christmas Eve_?"

"It good." You mumble, looking to the side. "So you called."

"_Yes, yes, I know, you're working_." She hushes, "_I just wanted to talk to you tonight, wish you well_."

"Mom, we'll be talking tomorrow." You chuckle, looking towards the group as they turn onto a street. You quicken your strides a bit, keeping some distance between you and them, and Santana laughs at Quinn after pushing her into a snow bank. You smile fondly and she claps her hands, howling with laughter as Quinn struggles to pull herself from the snow. She jumps back when Quinn does get up, and runs around Finn before Rachel grabs Quinn, calming her down.

Santana brushes her hair from her face and turns her head, tilting it at you, probably wondering why you're so far away, and closes her eyes when a snowball hits the side of her face.

You giggle as she wipes the snow away and only then remember you're on the phone when your mother calls your name for the umpteenth time.

"_Brittany_?" she calls and you blink repeatedly, shaking your head.

"Sorry."

"_No, I'm sorry. You must be being called to work. I'll let you go_." She says and you feel a pang of guilt in your stomach, "_We'll talk tomorrow. Love you, darling. Don't work too hard_."

"Okay, love you too, Mom." You say and wait for her to hang up before sighing and pocketing your phone.

God you were a terrible person.

* * *

You rejoin the group and Kurt catches your eye, silently asking if something was wrong.

You force a smile and he tilts his head with an arch brow, calling your bullshit, and you smile faintly for real at him for knowing. He detaches himself from Sebastian and waits for you as the group continues down the street.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just not feeling that great." You tell him and he frowns.

"Like, sick?"

"No, no, just, I don't know. Maybe."

"Okay, I'll tell Rachel and we'll go-"

"No." you shake your head quickly, "Kurt, you guys love caroling. You only get to do it once a year and I don't want to take that away from you."

"Yeah but I don't want to drag you along when you're not feeling up to it." He says with a sympathetic frown.

"It's fine. I'll just head back and wait for you guys there." You shrug and he starts to protest, shaking his head. "Kurt, its fine. Seriously."

"Fine." He says after a beat and you smile. "We'll cut the playlist short and be back in forty minutes, hour tops." He says and you nod, giving him a hug. "Be careful."

"I will." You nod and watch him turn back for the group before turning around yourself and heading back to his condo.

* * *

You bring your shoulders closer to your ears at a gust of wind and shiver faintly as your feet carry you down the route to Kurt's condo building.

You felt so guilty and horrible for lying to your mom. It was selfish of you to think of yourself and not consider how you not being there would affect everyone else in the family.

You shake your head, disappointed in yourself, when you hear footsteps coming up behind you with a quickened pace. You freeze with wide eyes and glance over your shoulder, relaxing when you see Santana, hands in jacket pockets, jogging up to you.

"What are you doing?" you ask and she snorts, falling beside you.

"What are _you_ doing, more like it." She counters, nose and cheeks red from the cold. "It's fucking freezing out here."

"It's winter." You state and she gives you a pointed look.

"Anyway, why'd you leave?"

"Not in the caroling mood." You shrug. "Why'd you leave?"

"Because, dumbass, Kurt didn't give you the keys to his place. You'd be stuck out in the hall." She says, pulling a hand from her pockets, showing you keys.

"Kurt gave you his keys?"

"Please, I have my own copy." She smirks and you smile, nodding as you look at the ground ahead of you while walking. "So, what's the real reason you dipped?" she asks.

"Why?" you chuckle, kicking an ice piece.

"I'm curious, and I know it's not because you're not in the caroling mood." She states, pulling at her scarf to cover more of her face.

You hum and the two of you continue walking for a few minutes before you sigh, "I feel guilty, and I'm not going to enjoy caroling with you guys if my head is somewhere else and I feel terrible." You tell her.

"Why do you feel guilty?"

You hesitate before telling her, "I told my mom I had to work so that I didn't have to go home for Christmas." You admit quietly, taking a moment before glancing at her for her reaction.

She just nods slowly, keeping her gaze forward. "You're not going to say anything?" you ask and she shrugs, looking at you.

"Do you want me to?"

"Well…" you begin, and close your mouth with furrowed brows, "I don't know. Shouldn't you have an opinion?" you ask, looking at her eyes.

"Look, I'm sure you have a reason for wanting to stay here instead of heading home. Even if it's simply, you don't want to go. It doesn't have a primary effect on me so who am I to judge?" she shrugs, her eyes flicking between yours. "Though if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you want to go?"

"It's…" you sigh, brushing your hair over your shoulder, "Every year it's the same." You say quietly, "My dad…my dad died twelve years ago and Christmas was his favorite holiday. We had certain traditions we'd do together as a family and now that he's gone…we just keep doing them and it's hard you know? Continuing with traditions when the person you started them with is gone." You finish in a whisper, sucking on your bottom lip as you furrow your brows, trying to keep your eyes from filling with tears. "I just don't think that I'd be able to hold it together if I was there. Each year it built up and got harder."

"I'm sorry." She says softly and you look at her, wearing a look of genuine sympathy and concern. You nod and clear your throat. "So you were close."

"He was my best friend." You smile faintly, looking from the ground to Santana again. She smiles faintly and nods, lifting her shoulders and dropping them with a sigh. "What about you? Are you close with your dad? Your mom?"

Santana stiffens and you chew your lip nervously, wondering if you crossed a line, although, you mean, she started the whole family thing.

"I was." She finally says, albeit quietly, narrowing her eyes as she stares ahead of her. "They died in an accident when I was eleven." She says and your heart breaks.

"Oh my god, Santana. I'm so sorry." You say sincerely.

She glances at you and offers a small smile and a nod, "It was a long time ago."

"It still happened. You shouldn't have been put through that."

"It wasn't all bad. I mean, of course I was heartbroken and terrified, but I had Juan, my brother, and then our Tia took us in. I got really close with Puck and my Tia became my second mom." She sighs with a faint smile, remembering. "I don't have many memories about my parents, they worked a lot, but there are a few that stick out and that I'll always remember." Her smile grows faintly and she lets out a little chuckle, glancing at you.

"I remember I was like eight or something and I was supposed to go to my first sleepover but I got the fricken chicken pox so of course I had to stay home. I was like, completely distraught and so my mom took me out to get that pink cream and when we got home my dad had the mattress from our guest room on the living room floor made up with a bunch of pillows and blankets. We made popcorn and milkshakes and watched Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland…They taped oven mitts to my hands so I wouldn't scratch and my dad had my mom do the same to him before we pretended we were robots sent to bring Juan to our lab." She laughs and you smile softly, watching her eyes twinkle at the memory.

She clears her throat and shakes her head, "That was the first and last time we did that but it meant a lot that it happened in the first place. Things kind of went downhill from there, in the spending time together category but I know how difficult it must've been. They were my age with busy jobs like mine and had two kids at home. I sure as hell know I wouldn't be able to handle it. Then the accident and Juan and I went to Chicago to live with Puck and Tia. So…It wasn't an ideal childhood but in the end I'm okay with that." She says, looking at you before she nods up ahead when the condo building comes into view and you smile, following her to the building.

* * *

"Do you want coffee?" she asks and you lift your head from resting it on your folded arms on the kitchen island. "I can make hot chocolate if you want?" she offers and you smile sweetly.

"Either is fine." You say and she eyes you before shaking her head with a smile.

"So hot chocolate?"

"Yes, please." You chuckle and she turns to put the kettle on before putting on a pot of coffee. "So Juan?"

Santana grins and turns around, leaning back against the counter, "My kid brother." She nods, "Okay, he's twenty-seven." She shrugs and grabs a mug, scooping two spoonfuls of cocoa in the cup before pouring the boiled water in it. "And he's an accountant."

"Ah," you nod slowly with a chuckle. Santana hands you the drink, opening Kurt's pantry to retrieve marshmallows. You straighten with a smile and she chuckles, pouring some in to fill the top of the drink before popping one into her mouth. You snatch another from the bag and lift it. Santana arches a brow and you nod at her before tossing it. She catches it like a pro and winks before putting them away.

You blow on your drink as Santana gets her coffee, and she leans against the island across from you. You hold her gaze as you both take a sip of your drinks and smile bashfully as you duck your head.

You look back up and watch Santana as she stares at her coffee, tapping the side of the cup thoughtfully. As if feeling your gaze she glances up and clears her throat.

"I'll be right back." She says before heading to the living room. You take another long sip of your hot cocoa when Santana comes back into the kitchen holding a small rectangular present wrapped in shiny red Christmas paper with a white bow on top. You eye it carefully and Santana puts it on the counter, sliding it to you. "From your secret Santa." She says with a playful eye roll.

"You're my secret Santa?" you ask with a smile and she shrugs. You put your cup aside and take the gift, smiling at its perfect wrapping before opening it. You turn the book over and smile when you read the title.

"When the team was at your place I saw all the mystery books you had and then I saw this and remembered you had the first one. I don't know if you actually liked the first one but-"

"I did." You cut her off and she lets out a breath, "I haven't been able to find this in the stupid bookstore. I've tried." You tell her, looking over the book and smile up at her. "Thank you." You say sweetly and she swallows before nodding.

"You're welcome."

"Now I wish I was your secret Santa so I could give something to you." You pout and she chuckles. You put the book down and smile at it as you grab you cup when Santana leans away from the counter.

"Do you want to actually sit in the living room?" she asks with a laugh and you nod, getting up and lead her out.

"Oh!" you say quickly and turn around, forgetting your book, and bump into Santana right behind you. "Shit, sorry." You say, checking to make sure you didn't spill on yourself or her and she shakes her head, waving it off.

"It's fine." She smiles, glancing over herself once again.

You nod, glancing around and widen your eyes, a blush creeping across your cheeks. "Yeah, no spill." She says and looks up at you. You blink and avert your gaze from where it was, and Santana eyes you with an amused look. "What?" she asks, looking up and you look away. "You've got to be kidding me." She says quietly and you clear your throat, pulling her attention from the mistletoe. She looks at you and your blush deepens. Her eyes soften and your heart beat quickens as she glances at your lips, wetting her own.

You tighten your hold on your cocoa as Santana steps closer, lifting her hand to the nape of your neck, and pulls you head down, pressing her lips softly against yours.

You return the kiss immediately and slip your tongue into her mouth when she parts her lips for that specific reason. You inhale through your nose, moving one hand from your cup to her waist, and pull her closer.

You break the kiss for air and feel Santana panting faintly against your lips as you both flutter your eyes open. You instantly blush as she looks from your lips to your eyes before you hear Mercedes's loud laugh outside and you separate, averting your eyes from each other. You go back into the kitchen and grab your book, holding it in your lap as Santana goes to open the door for everyone, and let out a breath.

* * *

You were all standing in Kurt's foyer sitting area, around his grand piano, Noah sitting on the bench with Rachel beside him. You were standing at the end directly across from them and Santana was standing to Noah's right, between him and Sebastian.

When the group came back you all sat down for secret Santa and played another, more relaxed game with wine before Noah suggested moving to the piano to end the night.

And so here you are. Listening to Noah play a beautiful tune, softly, your eyes closed as you listen. It comes to an end and you open your eyes.

"Lopez, you're up." Noah says and you lift a brow, looking at her as she shakes her head 'no'. "Yes, you're doing it." He says.

"I do it all the time." She argues and he nods.

"This is the first Christmas with Brittany here. You have to sing it." He says and she stops from protesting and glances at you. You smile faintly and she sighs heavily making everyone smile happily. "Okay." Noah nods before starting to play.

"Silent night…holy night. All is calm, all is bright," she starts and you relax immediately, the sound of her voice as soothing as the touch of a mother to her child. "Holy infant…so tender! And mild! Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep, sleep in heavenly peace…" she sings, eyes closed and head tilted.

Noah nods and picks up the pace a bit as Santana starts the second verse.

You can't help but stare. You can tell how much passion she's putting into the song and it just made it even more beautiful to witness. You smile as she lifts her hands to her chest a little, totally getting right into it, and wet your lips, holding the bottom between your lips as she shakes her head slowly, with a note.

"Oh, Jesus, lord at thy birth. Oooou. Jesus, lord at thy birth. Oooohhhh. Sleep in heavenly peace…" she sings, her eyes opening slowly as they lock with yours, "Oooh, sleep…in heavenly peace…" she finishes slowly and you basically swoon, blushing and lifting a glass of wine to you lips to try and hide it as she smiles softly.

* * *

**A/N: So let meh know what ya thought. Was there enough cuteness? You need more? Less? pfft who am I kidding. So there you got some of Santana's background story, a very important part. So yes. Hands up for who would completely swoon and most likely die if Santana/Naya sang Silent Night for you. *Throws hand up* Until Sunday, loves! Lates!**

**-B**


	19. Chapter 20

**A/N: So I forgot that you guys actually read the pt. 2 of the christmas party and almost posted that again. That would've been embarrassing. But whatever, this chapter was fun to write too, muahaha. Hope you guys like this one!**

**-B**

* * *

December, 2014/January, 2015:

"Whoa!" you laugh, grabbing Quinn's arm to keep her steady right after she slips on some ice on the sidewalk.

"Jesus…" she breathes, gripping your arm tightly with her other hand, and she shakes her head as she lifts her gaze to yours. "Does this damn city not salt the fucking sidewalks?" she asks in annoyance and Santana snorts a laugh from behind you two as she walks with Kurt and Sebastian, Noah, Finn, and Sam behind them.

"I said it before, and I'm going to say it again," Santana says, leaning forwards as she walks, her head between you and Quinn, "I am not looking after her drunk ass tonight."

"My best friend, everybody." Quinn rolls her eyes and Santana scoffs, leaning back.

"It's fucking New Years Eve, Q. I'm getting hammered and having fun."

"And your idea of fun isn't taking care of your friend?" you ask her, glancing over your shoulder. Santana scrunches her nose and shakes her head.

"Absolutely not."

You shrug and the group comes to a stop in front of 'The Den' a new lounge a few blocks from your place, where you all walked from.

"Santana, you are terrible." Quinn mumbles as you open the door, smiling at the big bouncer waiting inside, "Rachel is with her dads tonight and you're not even going to look after me?"

"Hey, your problems regarding the hobbit are none of my concern. Besides, when you're drunk you get vicious." She says after you hand the bouncer all eight of your tickets. He nods and lets you all in.

"That is so true." Noah pipes in and you chuckle, looking at Quinn. She shrugs and you let go of her, making your way to a surprisingly open booth a decent distance from the bar and the billiards table.

So it was New Years! And the crew was together again; all but Mike who met this girl Tina through his parents and decided to spend the night with her and her friends, and Rachel, who was, as Quinn said, spending the holiday with her parents and their family having a big ol' party, to which Quinn was not invited. Apparently Rachel's dad are not fans of the oncologist. Mercedes left for home Christmas morning and was going to be spending the remainder of her holiday with family in Florida.

You still feel a little guilt for not going home but after talking and spending time with Santana on Christmas Eve, you decided to cut yourself some slack, and that she was right. You should be able to enjoy the holiday any way you pleased.

Noah grabs your hips and lifts you away from the booth when you got to slide in and you squeal and look at him in surprise as he grins and slide in to get the middle spot.

"Seriously?" you ask him and he laughs, holding his hands up. You shake your head, looking at the rest as they come over and gesture to the table. "Anyone else because I really don't care where I sit as long as I get to sit." You say and they chuckle, sliding in; Santana the only one to let you go before her. You blush faintly and sit down, moving over for her and she slides in.

You watch her subtly as she runs a hand through her hair, unzipping her leather jacket, and wet your lips, looking at Finn when he drums his hands on the table.

"I'll grab the drinks." He says while getting up, "Two rounds of shots first?" he asks knowingly and everyone whoop's and nods in agreement. He motions for Sam to help out and they both go to the bar.

"So, are you all on a mission to find a New Years kiss?" Kurt asks with a smile, Sebastian shaking his head with a smile at the other gay.

"Well duh." Noah chuckles as Santana says 'obviously' and Quinn rolls her eyes.

"Brittany, what about you?" he asks with a sparkle in his eye and you narrow your eyes at him with a tight smile.

"Not particularly but whatever happens, happens." You say as Sam and Finn come back, placing the two trays of shots on the table.

"What are we talking about?" Sam asks, smiling at you and you inwardly groan.

"Nothing that concerns you, Evans." Santana states, reaching and grabbing her shots. Sam furrows his brows and Santana arches one of her, holding a shot up. "Are we doing this or what?" she asks as everyone looks at her curiously.

You clear your throat and grab a shot, shrugging at Quinn and Kurt. They grab theirs and everyone else does the same, lifting them up and clinking them all together before throwing them back.

* * *

An hour in and everyone was already split up.

Finn, Sam, and Sebastian were playing billiards with three other guys, each holding either whiskey, scotch, or beer.

Santana and Noah were throwing darts and drinking beer.

You, Quinn, and Kurt were sitting at the booth, drinking martinis and watching everyone else. Okay, you were watching Santana and how much fun she was having with her cousin, throwing pointy sticks at a circle board.

You lift your martini to your lips, taking a sip, and swallow, smiling fondly when Santana punches Noah's shoulder before shaking her head and drinking her beer with a wide smile. Noah laughs and retrieves the darts from the board and you sigh contently as the Latina rolls her eyes fondly at the man.

"Britt, I love you, but you look beyond pathetic right now." Quinn says and you frown, lifting your chin from your hand to look at her.

You arch a brow and purse your lips, "I love you too, but that's coming from you?" you counter, nodding at the three empty martini glasses sitting on the table in front of her. She huffs and nods in acceptance before Kurt groans.

"God, you two are bringing me down." He states.

"It's easy for you to say." you mumble, "You actually have someone."

"Yeah, and he's here." Quinn adds in.

"Oh please. Quinn you're going to see Rachel in a few hours, and Brittany, there is no reason you are here instead of over with Santana, moving Operation Brain forwards to get Santana to be your girlfriend."

You sigh and shrug, "I don't even know if I want her to be my girlfriend." You admit quietly and they both look at you in disbelief. "I mean, I want to spend time with her. You know? Have her stay over, or stay over at her place. Act all silly and have food fights that end with us feeding each other berries or waffles. Cuddle and drink wine on the couch at night…then the physical stuff." You smile dreamily, your eyes once again glued to Santana as she slips her jacket off and drapes it over Noah's jacket on a chair. "God, she's so sexy." You breathe as she lets a dart fly and you lick your lips, eyeing her toned arms.

"Oh, Britt, you're drooling!" Kurt shrieks and you flinch when he wipes your chin.

"What are you doing?" you ask him with a scrunched nose.

He shakes his head and holds his hands up, "That's it. Go and talk to her. And take Quinn with you."

"No." Quinn says stubbornly and he rolls his eyes.

"Fine, whatever, but, Brittany, go." He says firmly, pointing to Santana and you look back at her as she stands near the bar watching the boys play at the billiards table, holding her beer in her hand. You groan and get up, straightening your back as you walk over.

Santana does a double take as you get closer and you smile, flinching and jumping back when you hear a loud _crack_. You look wide eyed at the table, the colored and numbered balls rolling around, and send Sam a hard look.

"Sorry." He winces and you huff and continue to Santana now sporting an amused smile.

"Hey." You breathe with a smile as you stop and stand beside her. Santana chuckles and runs her hand through her hair, removing her bangs from her face.

"Hey." She nods and you copy her movement. You stare at each other and Santana squints with a tilt of her head, her lips slowly turning into an amused smile once again. You blush and chuckle quietly in embarrassment, looking at your drink. "Hummel and Fabray throw you from the booth?" she asks and you shrug, lifting your head.

"You could say that." You nod, "But, Quinn was whining about Rachel and I was…getting annoyed." You save yourself and Santana hums.

"Yeah, see. And you people wanted me to look after her? Ha, no." she shakes her head with a grin, taking a gulp of beer.

You nod and wet your lips, looking around so you don't continue to stare at her and clear your throat, "So…you're looking for someone to, you know, after the countdown?" you ask lamely, looking back at her slowly as her eyes dance over your face, studying.

"Everyone is." She says simply and you hum, glancing at your drink. "Aren't you?"

"I'm not desperate for it but if the opportunity presents itself I'm not opposed." You tell her and she nods slowly.

"I get the feeling there's some hidden meaning to that." She smirks faintly and you open your mouth, blushing.

"W-what? N-no, no, of course not."

"If you want me to be your kiss you just have to ask, Pierce." She teases and your cheeks darken in color, only pushing Santana further. "It's not like it hasn't happened before." She shrugs and you close your eyes, shaking your head.

"No, yeah…yeah, you're right but I mean, I didn't come over to ask you to…be that."

"Alright."

"Lopez, you in?" Noah asks, motioning to the pool table.

Santana lets out a breath and glances at you before shaking her head at Noah, "I'm good." She says and your tummy flips while you smile bashfully. "Scotch?" she asks you and you look at your empty martini glass before nodding.

"Sure."

"Awesome." She hints a smile and turns around, calling over the bartender.

* * *

It had been over an hour of hanging out with Santana at the bar. You told funny stories of when the two of you were younger, discussed Duke, and…there was a bit of flirting. Well you're pretty sure she was flirting. Maybe she was just teasing and playing around or maybe it was legit flirting.

Either way she had you holding your breath, shifting in your seat, and biting your lip to keep from whimpering or kissing her.

You were now talking about how she got in a fight during med school because some punk was trying to cheat his was through a lab exam.

"He thought I couldn't see his beady eyes glancing at my paper but I fucking saw him." She scoffs, turning her head to look at you, "And you know what happened after the exam?"

"I'm going to guess you kicked his ass?"

"No." she laughs, "I just met with one of the guys I knew to get dirt on him and he became my bitch for the rest of the year, before transferring of course." She smirks and you drop your mouth open in shock.

"Santana!" you laugh and she shrugs with a proud smile.

"You don't try to cheat off Santana Lopez and get away with it." She states, finishing her third glass of scotch. You watch her lower the glass to the bar and look at her eyes, glossy.

"So…what about previous relationships?" you ask hesitantly and Santana just wets her lips while looking at you with a knowing smile.

She clears her throat and leans forwards, her right arm on the counter as her left hand is gently placed on your bare thigh, causing your breath to hitch. She chuckles next to your ear and sighs, "I'm not that drunk." She whispers before pulling back a bit, giving you a pointed look through her lashes before pulling away all together. You let out a shaky breath, face on fire, and swallow, nodding.

"Uhm, I'm going to use the restroom." You say and she nods, swishing her forth glass around.

You lock eyes with Quinn and subtly nod towards the bathroom. She lifts her chin and nods before grabbing Kurt's arm, breaking him and Sebastian up from their ten minute make out session. You head to the bathroom, knowing they're following and wait for them in the hallway to the bathroom.

"What's going on?" Quinn asks, more sober than she was, as Kurt fixes the collar of his shirt.

"Please, do tell." Kurt grumbles.

"I don't know." You say quickly, running your hands through your hair, "I was talking to Santana and oh my god, guys, I'm basically putty in her hands. I'm making a complete idiot out of myself and I don't know what to do!" you hiss in panic, glancing around before focusing on them. "One touch and my brain goes all fuzzy." You frown.

"Touch?!"

"There was touching?" Quinn and Kurt ask at once and you roll your eyes.

"Well, not that kind, just like, her hand would brush mine, or she placed her hand on my thigh just now…"

"Brittany, that's practically sex." Kurt says and you scrunch your nose.

"No, it's not."

"Yeah, Kurt, what the hell is wrong with you?" Quinn shakes her head. "Obviously she's flirting so just flirt back." She shrugs. "Make her all flustered instead of the other way around."

"That may be more difficult as of now…" Kurt mumbles, looking back at you and Quinn after glancing over his shoulder. You frown in confusion and move closer to him, holding his arms as you peek over his shoulder, your shoulders dropping when you spot Santana grinning at a tall brunette whom just took your spot at the bar.

* * *

"Look! Why? Why does she need to keep touching her!" you ask loudly, holding your hand out towards Santana and the brunette intruder laughing and smiling at the billiards table.

Sebastian went back to the boys, leaving the three of you to watch Santana flirt shamelessly with the girl and vice versa.

"Ugh, I know. What a slut." Quinn scoffs as the brunette steps closer to Santana, the Latina holding her pool cue in one hand and her beer in the other, and runs her hand down Santana's arm. Santana smirks seductively and you groan as the brunette bites her lip and runs her finger over Santana's collar bone.

"Damn, she's pretty good though."

"Kurt!" you and Quinn snap and he holds his hands up in surrender.

You cross your arms and lean back in the booth, keeping your glare on the girl as Santana leans over and whispers something in her ear.

"Oh come on!" you exclaim before shaking your head, "That's it." You shrug, "I'm leaving." And get out of the booth. Both Kurt and Quinn widen their eyes and jump up to stop you.

"You can't go!"

"Why not? Santana obviously found her New Year's kiss…" you say and glance back at the touch, their faces inches from each other's, "Maybe not even! Ugh, no, I'd rather not stay here and have to see this." You say and go to head for the door.

"Whoa, no." Kurt and Quinn each grab a shoulder and turn you around.

"Forget Santana." Quinn says, "For now anyway, and let's find you your own New Year's kiss."

"I'm sure Sam would volunteer."

"Ew." You scrunch your nose at the thought and the both of them nod in agreement.

"Yeah, bad idea. What about…" Kurt begins to scan the lounge and you pull your arms free.

"Guys, I don't want to look for anyone to kiss. The one I would've kissed has someone and my mood is shot." You pout, dropping back down to the booth.

Kurt frowns sympathetically and Quinn tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear comfortingly, "Let's just have fun then. Me, you, and Kurt. Just us."

"Doing what?" you snort and look up when Kurt squeals.

"One word. Karaoke!"

* * *

"You think this is a good idea?" you whisper to Kurt as he tries to work the karaoke machine.

"It's perfect! It will clear your mind of Santana immediately."

"Well maybe not with this song, Kurt, what is wrong with you!" Quinn smacks him and he scowls at her, straightening himself on the stage beside you. Quinn rolls her eyes.

"It's a catchy song and it's fun." He defends himself and his choice, handing you the lead mic before him and Quinn stand beside you and a step behind. He uses the remote for the machine and the music playing through the speakers turns off letting the karaoke music start.

"Somebody said you got a new friend," you begin, glancing at Kurt and Quinn next to you for reassurance, and they nod already doing that background singer dance step. "Does she love you better than I can? It's a big, black sky over my town. I know where you at, I bet she's around." You sing, glancing around the lounge table area, patrons turning their attention from their companions or the TV's showing the New York ball to you as you sing. "Yeah, I know it's stupid…but I just gotta see it for myself."

"I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ooh ohhh! I'm right over here, why can't you see me, ooh ohhh…" you continue on and look towards the billiards table, Sebastian and Finn having looked over, sporting smiles. "I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home, oou ooou ooooou. I keep dancing on my own…"

"I keep dancing on my own!" Kurt and Quinn sing backup and you smile at them before the second verse comes around.

"I'm just gonna dance, all night." You tilt your head side to side with the music tics and smile when Noah glances up from taking a shot, noticing you and straightening with a surprised smile. "I'm all messed up, I'm so out of line." Sam does a double take at Noah before following his eye sight, beaming once he see you, and cups the sides of his mouth, hollering. "Stilettos and broken bottles, I'm spinning around in circles! I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ooh ohhh! I'm right over here, why can't you see me, ooh ohhh…I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home, oou ooou ooooou. I keep dancing on my own…"

"I keep dancing on my own!"

You bop your head a bit, dancing to the music as you wet your lips, Kurt and Quinn doing thing where they swoop one arm in front of them before the other, making it look like they're swimming. When the bridge comes around you glance back to your friends at the billiards table and your breath catches as Santana looks over at you after Noah nudges her to do so. "So far away, but still so near…"

"The light's go on, the music dies."

"But you don't see me standing here…" you glance down before lifting your gaze back to Santana, her head tilted as she watches you.

"I just came…"

"To say goodbye. I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ooh ohhh!" You sing softly with a twitch of a smile when Santana's lips begin to curve upwards. Your smile falters when the brunette comes back to Santana from the bar with two drinks, handing one to her and effectively pulling Santana's attention from you, "I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home, oou, ooou, ooooou! I keep dancing on my own…"

"I keep dancing one my own!" Quinn and Kurt sing as you let out an 'Oooh yeah!' in the middle.

"I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ooh ohhh! I'm right over here, why can't you see me, ooh ohhh…I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home, oou ooou ooooou! I keep dancing on my own…"

"I keep dancing on my own!"

You clench your jaw as you watch Santana and the brunette smile and laugh together, the brunette letting her hand rest on Santana's arm, and finish the song with a shake of your head, "I keep dancing on my own…"

* * *

You step off the tiny stage, ignoring the applause from the patrons and cross your arms as you wait for Kurt and Quinn. When they stumble down you give them pointed looks and throw your hand out, "That did not help me whatsoever!"

"You got her attention." Kurt shrugs.

"For a second." You hiss before shaking your head, "No, that wasn't even what I wanted. You said singing would make me forget about her, but all it did was make me think about her more."

"I told you it was a bad song choice." Quinn states and you shake your head at the gay man, turning on your heel as you head to the booth to grab your things. When your song ended the music in the lounge began again as well as the volume on the TV's and right as you grab your jacket and straighten everyone starts counting down from ten.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Oh fantastic." You grumble and start to check for your keys and phone in your jacket pocket. "Damn it…" you growl before you feel them and pull them out. You look at Quinn and Kurt and they just look at you, letting you know with their eyes they don't want you to go.

"Three!

"Two!"

"One! Happy New Year!" Everyone in the lounge shouts as you turn to go to the door. You catch movement in the corner of your eye and look towards it, seeing Santana readying her pool shot as the brunette cheers and grabs Santana's cheeks, pulling her into a kiss. Santana's eyes widen, her hands still holding the cue, and you clench your jaw and shove your jacket, keys and phone into Kurt's hands before stealing the shot from a guy a table in front of you, and storming over to Santana, hearing Quinn's, "Oh shit."

Sam smiles as you make your way over, putting his pool cue down, as if he's expecting you to go to him, and frowns when you pass him.

As soon as Santana starts to return the brunette girls kiss, your eyes narrow into a glare directed at her before you say, "Excuse me," and take Santana's cue from her hands. She pulls back from the kiss and the brunette girl looks at you in annoyance before you bump her out of the way, Santana looking at you in confusion, and claim her lips with yours; surprising everyone.

* * *

The instant your lips touch Santana's hands move to your waist and your hands slide from her face and you drape your arms over her shoulders, tilting your head as you deepen the kiss.

Santana opens her mouth and you slide your tongue inside, enticing a moan from the Latina, and press your body closer as the brunette no name's protests fade around you. You nip at Santana's bottom lip as you pull away and she opens her eyes, licking her lips with a dazed look.

"Happy New Year." You say before turning and moving to Quinn and Kurt staring with their jaws dropped. "Thanks." You say to Kurt for holding your things as you take them from him, pulling your jacket on before pocketing your phone and keys, and leaving the lounge, not noticing Santana coming to her senses and calling your name.

* * *

**A/N: Yaaaaas, Jealous!Brittany. I've had this chapter idea in my head since like the first few chapters of this fic and I was so excited when I got to finally write it. So yeah! Hope you all liked it! Update will be Wednesday as usual, until then, Loves! Mwah!**

**-B**


	20. Chapter 21

**A/N: I'm so excited for you all to read the next chapters coming up that it's killing me having to wait to post. But I know I gotta spread them out. So believe me, I know how you feel when the chapter ends because I want to update just as much as you want one! At least this one is a bit longer. So I'm going to say this one is kind of a filler but it's not really...I don't think. It's important for the story to progress though.**

**Also I have a feeling most of you may be a little upset with me at the end...well we'll see won't we!**

**-B**

* * *

January, 2015:

"Brittany Susan Pierce, open this door, right now!"

You groan as you drag your feet to open the door. You hold your hands against your forehead, wincing when the banging continues, and walking into the corner of one of the hallway walls. You mumble a curse, wincing at the sudden pain in your shoulder, and peek an eye open when you reach the door.

"Why are you yelling?" you whisper, minding your migraine, and shush Chess when he goes off. "Fuck." You whine, pressing your hands harder against your head as you move to let Chess outside.

You slide the door closed and let out a relieved sigh before turning to look back at Kurt standing in your apartment foyer with his arms crossed and a serious expression on his face. "What?"

"What do you mean, _what_?" he exclaims and you flinch, waving your hands.

"Jesus, Kurt, my head!" you whine and he huffs as you walk by to retrieve Advil and a glass of water. "God, I haven't had a hangover this bad since first year of university. Remember, I told you when I…"

"Woke up in the campus park, yeah. Stop trying to change the subject." He says, moving to the living room. He pulls his jacket off and drapes it over the back of your chair before sitting on the couch. You squint at him, unsure about what he's exactly talking about, and put the kettle on for tea.

"I'm not really sure what you're talking about to be honest." You tell him and he scoffs.

"Don't try to play innocent, Britt." He says and you shake your head as you go to let Chess in.

"I'm not playing anything, I'm serious. The last thing I remember is you making me sing then it's like fuzzy. Like when your TV is acting up, that static, ugh, it's terrible." You shake your head, and look to the kitchen when the kettle goes.

"Sit down." He says, getting up to fix your tea, seeing you struggle to move without wincing, and you do so, watching him go to the kitchen and put a bag in a cup before filling it with the hot water. "So you're telling me you don't remember seeing that brunette chick kiss Santana?" he asks and you stop from bouncing the tea bag in the water, looking at him with wide eyes and a frown.

"What?" you ask quietly, "S-she actually kissed her?" you swallow and Kurt furrows his brows.

"Yeah, you don't remember that?" he asks and you shrug, "So you don't remember stealing that guys shot? Or making me hold your stuff so you could storm over and…"

"Oh my god!" you exclaim in horror, looking at Kurt with wide, terrified eyes, "Oh my god! I kissed Santana! Oh my _god_!"

"Yeah, oh my god, is right." He says slowly.

"Oh my god, Kurt! And like, god, in front of everyone." You say quickly, panicking, "Noah, Finn, I can't show my face at work or any of your gatherings…" you begin to list off when Kurt shake his head and moves from the chair to the spot on the couch beside you.

"Britt, first of all, everyone that was there was hammered, besides me and Quinn, so I doubt they'll remember. Second of all, even if they do who cares? Say it was a drunk kiss, they won't blink an eye. And third," he pauses, giving you a small smile, "Honey, you should be more concerned about how you're going to act around Santana seeing as we have brunch with Quinn and Rach at noon." He says and you widen your eyes, remembering you agreed to the brunch with the four of them a couple days ago.

"Oh god." You groan, burying your head in your hands.

* * *

"This was a terrible idea." You mumble as you sit in Quinn and Rachel's drive way.

Kurt looks at you as he turns his car off and you groan, giving him a pleading look when he tells you to hurry up while taking his seat belt off.

"Britt, it'll be fine." He smiles faintly and you narrow your eyes.

"You're just saying that."

"I am, yes. But I'm hungry and cold so let's go." He nods, opening his door. You reluctantly get out of the car, pulling your collar up as you walk behind Kurt up the driveway, the wind blowing against your face. Even with it only taking ten seconds to get to their front door, your face is already frozen. Kurt bangs on the door and then stuffs his hands in his coat pockets, calling for someone to open the damn door.

The door swings open and Rachel breathes an apology, smiling widely at the both of you as she ushers you inside quickly. You look around the foyer of the cute bungalow and start to unbutton your coat.

"So, Brittany," Rachel starts, standing beside you as she motions to the space, "What do you think?"

You nod with a smile, sliding your arms out of your coat sleeves, "I like it. It's cute. Especially the crown molding, it gives the place character."

"Thank you!" Rachel says pointedly, swatting Kurt's shoulder as he rolls his eyes. He opens his mouth to comment when Quinn pokes her head around the corner at the end of the hall, smiling widely when she sees you and Kurt.

"Rach, it's freezing by the door, let them come in." she says and Rachel nods and motions for you and Kurt to follow her. Kurt starts ahead of her and Rachel shakes her head and follows him with you in tow. You smile at Quinn when you see her in front of the stove, frying bacon, and she looks over her shoulder. "Afternoon, you two. Britt, how's the head?" she winks with a knowing smile and you groan, sitting at the cute six seating kitchen table.

You let out a sigh and cross your legs, holding your chin in your hand, "It was terrible."

"I'll bet."

"So, Brittany, Quinn mentioned you had an eventful night." Rachel smiles excitedly while rejoining her girlfriend in the kitchen. "Kurt, would you mind making the-"

"The fresh lemonade? Yeah, I got it." He says, turning around from the fridge with a large bowl of cooled lemons. She smiles widely at him in thanks as you send Quinn a sharp glare. She shrugs and mouths 'I was drunk' before smiling softly when Rachel kisses her cheek on her way to grab a knife from the block next to Quinn.

"So, Brittany? Big night?" Rachel asks, wiggling her eyebrows as she starts cutting some green onion.

You stare at her and blink, chuckling nervously when you hear the doorbell.

"I'll get that!" you say quickly to get out of talking about last night, and are out of the chair before anyone can blink an eye.

You tuck a strand piece of hair that had fallen from your ponytail behind you ear as you get closer to the door and pause when you realize its Santana.

"Oh crap on me…" you mumble and wince, knowing you're leaving her in the cold.

"Damn it, Berry, open the door. It's fucking cold!" Santana's muffled voice comes through and you wince again and quickly open the door, pulling the Latina in. "Took you damn long enough." She huffs, adjusting her hold on a pie in her hands, "It's like minus four or something." She sighs, lifting her head as you pull the sleeves of your grey knit sweater over your hands and cross your arms, warming up.

"Sorry, I got distracted." You offer lamely, nodding towards the door as Santana closes her mouth and blinks, nodding.

"Y-yeah, no, it's fine." She says quickly, looking around for somewhere to put the pie so she can take her coat off.

"I can take it." You chuckle awkwardly, carefully taking the pie in your hands.

"Thanks."

"Of course."

She glances at you as she pulls her arms from the sleeves and you force a small smile. She forces one back and you look down, trying to avoid any more awkwardness.

"I can…" she trails off, holding her hands out for the pie. You nod and hand it over, crossing your arms again before you rock on your heels. You quickly run your eyes over her outfit and smile faintly at her very casual look; leggings, black ankle socks, a black tank top, and a longer maroon cardigan. Her hair was in a messy bun atop her head. She looked adorable. And totally comfy, you could just snuggle into her.

"Uh, everyone's in the kitchen." You tell her and she nods, eyeing you before heading down the short hall.

* * *

"You think maybe you have enough bacon there, Fabray? That is not good for the heart. I would know. " Santana states, nodding to the pile of bacon on Quinn's plate.

Quinn smiles mockingly as she takes a large chomp of a piece and Santana just shakes her head and goes back to eating her food.

It was amazingly delicious. Like a total feast too! Rachel made this really good vegan dish that you can't remember the name of, but Santana wouldn't have any of it so she kicked everyone out of the kitchen so she could make herself an omelet, of which you got one of your own, Santana having offered when your eyes widened at the mention. There were sausages, a Hispanic dish that Rachel made for Santana early in the morning, fresh made rolls, fruits, vegetables, and of course, Santana's pie. Pumpkin, yum!

You and Rachel smile fondly at the two and look at each other before you wipe the smile from your face and look down at the food. You had no reason to smile and act like you shared something like that. Like Santana was your girlfriend and when Quinn and her bickered, you could share a knowing look with Rachel that basically translates to '_those idiots. But they're our idiots'_. No. Santana wasn't your idiot. She wasn't you're anything.

You glance back at Rachel to see her eating happily, and look at Kurt, a knowing smile directed at you. You roll your eyes and cut a piece of your sausage, chewing it before swallowing.

"So, Brittany, don't think I forgot about you not answering my question earlier." Rachel says teasingly and you freeze from putting another bite in your mouth. "Just tell me what happened last night!" she chuckles and you all snap your heads up and you look at Santana with wide eyes as she stills, her hands outstretched and hovering above her spilt glass of lemonade.

She swallows and glances around before straightening and rolling her eyes, "Well damn it, Berry, if you didn't have all the dishes on the table maybe there would be room for my glass." She huffed, sitting back with her arms crossed.

Rachel just open and closes her mouth before furrowing her brows and getting up, grabbing one of the dishes to move, "Quinn, would you mind giving me a hand?" she asks and Quinn jumps up, nodding.

"Yeah, sure." She says, grabbing the bacon. She puts a few more pieces on her plate before holding one in her mouth and slapping Santana's shoulder. "Idiot." She says around the piece of meat before following Rachel.

"Well aren't you a smooth criminal." Kurt chuckles at Santana and she glares at him.

"You told Rachel?" she hisses at him and Kurt drops his jaw.

"Why would you even think that?"

"Because you're the gossip of the group, besides Mercedes who wasn't there, so obviously it was you." Santana growls as you just stare in horror.

"Oh my god, you remember?" you shriek quietly and Santana does a double take.

"It's kind of hard to forget." She says before realizing how that sounded the same time Kurt smirks. Her eyes widen a bit before she clears her throat and shakes her head.

"Sorry to break it to you, Santana, but I didn't tell her. That was all Quinn."

"Damn that woman." She hisses and gives Quinn a dirty look when both she and Rachel return to the table.

"Is that enough room, Santana?" Quinn sasses and Santana just looks at her with an unimpressed stare. Quinn glances between the three of you besides Rachel and shifts, smiling awkwardly, "My bad." She mumbles.

"Damn right you're bad." Santana growls.

"Santana, leave her alone. It's not her fault she told me. It's Brittany's for not having better control of herself." Rachel comments while taking a forkful of her dish.

You look at her in utter shock and close your mouth, holding a hand up, "First, you knew?! Why were you asking me if you knew? And second, hey!"

Rachel smiles faintly, "I wanted to see if you'd tell me."

"Obviously not, you have a big ass mouth." Santana rolls her eyes.

"And second, there's nothing to be ashamed of, you were drunk, no big deal." Rachel shrugs. You lean forwards and hold your forehead in your hand, shaking it slowly.

* * *

"So," you glance to the side when Rachel sits beside you in the living room, Quinn and Santana cleaning up, and Kurt in the restroom.

"So?" you draw out and she smiles, handing you a tea. You nod in thanks and she looks back at her girlfriend and Santana before crossing her legs and looking at you.

"Was it just you were drunk and Santana was there, or do you actually like her?" she asks, lifting her cup to her lips as you sigh and melt into the couch.

"You know what, I don't care anymore. Kurt knows, Quinn knows, even Mercedes knows so yeah, I guess you can know too." You say with a shrug, pausing to listen before saying, "Yes, I have a little crush on Santana. You can't tell anyone. Enough people already know." You tell her pleadingly and she smiles, nodding.

"Well kissing her in front of the boys might not have been as subtle as you think, but I can keep a secret much better than Quinn, Brittany. You don't need to worry about me." She chuckles and you let out a relieved sigh. The two of you glance up as the other three come in the living room, Kurt picking a fluff from his vest. "So what's new?" Rachel asks.

"Sebastian and I are thinking of becoming official." Kurt says quickly with excitement and you smile with Quinn and Rachel as Santana rolls her eyes.

"Why don't you just be single but shack up? It's easier that way." She says and you frown, shaking your head.

"What are you talking about?" you ask and Santana arches a brow, "Those two are perfect together and care about each other so why shouldn't they be together. Being friends with benefits is never easier. Especially when feelings are involved." You argue and Kurt nods, pointing at you as Santana rolls her eyes.

"Listen, all I'm saying is that if you don't date him then there is no need to go to family gatherings, buy gifts, pay for dinners, oh, Kurt, it's so much cheaper." She says, looking at him with a nod.

"You're an idiot." Quinn says and you nod in agreement.

"I second that notion." You say and Rachel chuckles.

"Me too."

"Hey, I'm being honest. I know from experience that dating someone is expensive as fuck." Santana states and your heart drops. Of course you didn't expect her to have been single her entire life but knowing she had been in a relationship was a little annoying. "That's why it's the single life for me. It works. You have someone for the physical needs and that's all you really need. You have friends for the emotional stuff." She chuckles at herself, tipping her head to the side before taking a drink of coffee.

Thankfully Santana isn't looking at you when everyone subtly glances at you apologetically and you just roll your eyes and shrink into the couch.

* * *

You pull back from Rachel's hug as Kurt goes on about having to do this again very soon, and excuse yourself to go to the bathroom, rolling your eyes with a smile with Quinn when Rachel and Kurt hug each other tightly.

You locate the bathroom and go inside, jumping as Santana startles in front of the mirror.

"Oh, uh, sorry." You smile apologetically, stepping out to closer the door when Santana calls for you to stop. You pause and she rolls her eye with a faint smile.

"I'm done, you can use it." She says, looking back at the mirror to check quickly for any flaws in her makeup before moving to slip past you. You turn to the side to let her go and she does the same, brushing your fronts as she does so. You tense and blush as she freezes and glances at you. "Sorry."

"Yeah, no, it's fine." You chuckle nervously, waving it off and go to step out so she can move out as she does the same. The both of you chuckle and avert your gazes, mumbling apologies as you suck in and press back against the wall, Santana sliding past quickly. "Finally." You joke and Santana looks back at you while holding her forehead.

"Yeah." She laughs nervously. You wet your lips and swallow as Santana glances at your lips, clearing her throat. "Yeah." She repeats before turning and moving further into the house.

You slide down a bit against the door frame with a heavy sigh and rest your head back against the frame.

* * *

You thank Kurt for the ride and step out of the car after kissing his cheek, and go up to your apartment, stepping inside. You smile at Chess and close the door, moving to let him out as you unzip your jacket.

You let him in and slip your boots off, placing them in the foyer closet before releasing your hair from its ponytail. You hang your jacket up and move to put the kettle on, thinking you're going to finish reading the book Santana gave you for Christmas, and slowly lower the kettle back to the stove top when there is a knock at your door. You frown in confusion and hold your hand out to quiet Chess, opening the door slowly.

"Santana?" you question.

She releases her bottom lip from between her teeth and closes in on you, pulling you into a hungry kiss.

* * *

**A/N: I'm so sorry!The teasing I know, I know! It had to be done. So...do you absolutely hate my guts lol?**

**-B**

**Pssst...*whispers* sexy times? Sexy times. ;)**


	21. Chapter 22

**A/N: TWO UPDATES IN ONE DAY? I SPOIL YOU! I'm sorry lol, I couldn't make you all wait until Saturday for this! And let's be real, you guys convinced me to add the next chapter :D I've already teased so much! So, let's get right to it. Hope all ya'll enjoy ;)**

**-B**

* * *

January, 2015:

Your hands immediately grab the front ends of her cardigan as she pushes the door closed before moving her hands to your waist, hooking her fingers in your belt loops. Your feet carry you backwards until you're pinned between one of the foyer/kitchen walls and Santana.

Santana slides her hands up, bringing your sweater up with you, her hands burning against your skin as you suck in a sharp breath.

"Santana…" you breathe, resting your forehead against hers as you pant lightly, holding the side of her neck, your thumb brushing her jawline as her hands roam over your toned stomach. She breathes out in reply and you close your eyes, basking in her touch before she captures your lips again.

You whimper into the kiss and pull at her cardigan, bringing it down her arms. She removes her hands from your body to help rid her cardigan from her body as well as her tank before she grabs the bottom of your sweater and pulls it up your body. You lift your arms and bite your lip as you watch Santana drop the piece of clothing. You swallow and she takes your hands, lifting them over your head as she steps closer, pressing her body against yours.

You take a sharp inhale as Santana kisses up your neck, sucking and licking. You shiver and let out a soft moan as her hands slowly, sensually slide down your forearms, biceps, and shoulders. She continues her assault on your neck before her lips move to your jaw and then lips. You open your mouth and Santana caresses your tongue with hers as your hands run down her sides and to her backside. She sucks in a sharp breath and you smile widely, taking control of the kiss, your hands moving to the bottom of her thighs.

You pull, bringing her forwards and lift her up. Her arms wrap around your neck and legs around your waist as you hold her, moving to the bedroom.

* * *

You lean forwards and sit her on the bed, biting her bottom lip lightly as her arms pull back and her hands move to your jeans. Your stomach flips, having her hands so close to your most intimate spot, and you gulp, licking your lips when Santana pulls back to focus on getting rid of your pants.

You run your hands through your hair, watching Santana begin to pull your jeans down, and tilt your head to the side as you drop your one hand to her shoulder to keep steady as you step out of the tight jeans.

You feel her hands caressing your legs and let out a shaky breath. You push against her shoulder to have her lie back and crouch down, pulling her leggings from her legs; your heart pounding with every inch of skin you reveal.

You toss the leggings aside and climb over Santana, straddling her right leg as she pushes herself onto her elbows, pulling you into a hot open mouthed kiss.

You groan and hold yourself up with one hand as the other rests against Santana's jaw, sucking her bottom lip. She lets out a tiny whimper, making you beam against her lips, and feel her lips curl upwards as well.

You begin to chuckle quietly and Santana's smile grows as she keeps her eyes closed, shaking her head, "Don't."

"Don't what?" you whisper with an amused tone, running your thumb over her jawline.

Santana lifts her chin and nudges your nose with hers before capturing your lips in a breathtakingly deep kiss, "You know what." She husks, against your lips sending a shot of arousal straight to your lady loins. She chuckles seductively with a knowing glint in her eye and bring her leg up slowly, lifting her hips, forcing your center to press against her knee.

You gasp and instinctively grind down against her.

"Eager much?" she teases and you growl for her to shut up, grinding against her. She flips your positions and smirks down at you, sliding her arm out from under you. You widen your eyes as she dangles your bra off her finger and gawk. She hums with a wink, "Mad skills." She whispers before leaning down and wrapping her lips around a nipple, kneading your other breast. You arch your back, lifting your chest and Santana sucks hard before switching. She releases with a pop and then starts to kiss the valley between your breasts. You groan and growl at her hair still in its bun, lifting your hands to remove it from the tie holding it up. You end up stretching it too much, effectively snapping it.

Santana pauses at the sound and you bite your lip nervously. She glances at you through her lashes before shaking her head and moving down your body. You tangle your hand in her free hair as she settles between your legs and gasp, jerking your hips when she presses a kiss to your center over your panties.

"God, Santana, don't fucking tease me!" you hiss and she hums, removing the underwear completely. You pull your bottom lip into your mouth when the cool air hits your hot, slick center, and Santana moans.

"Fuck…" she breathes before leaning in and running her tongue flat over your center. You throw your head back, moaning loudly as your grip on her hair tightens, and she continues to run her tongue over you.

Her lips wrap around your little ball of nerves and you begin to writhe against the bed, barely feeling Santana's hands run softly over the inside of your thighs. What you do feel is her push two digits inside you and you arch your back before trying to close your legs around her head.

"Fuck me…" you whimper pulling your hand from her hair to grip at the sheets on either side of you. Santana hums against you and sends vibrations through your body, adding to the increasing pleasure. She angles her fingers and you let out a squeak when she hits your spot. She chuckles and continues to hit the same spot over and over while sucking on your clit, until you're coming undone with a violent wave of pleasure. You can't think of anything besides how good this feels as Santana quickens her thrusts, bringing you a second powerful orgasm. You tighten your legs against her head as you moan the Latina's name. You relax and your legs release Santana's head as yours drops back against the mattress. You let out a content sigh and Santana kisses the insides of your thighs. "San…San-tana." You get out.

She crawls up the bed and flops down on your left, running a weak hand through her hair as you try to regain control of your breathing. You lick your lips as you look at her and just run your eyes over her relaxed face, eyes lightly closed as she breathes with her parted lips.

You take a deep breath and exhale before turning onto your side. Santana opens her eyes slowly as you run your hand over her flat stomach, her stomach muscles flexing under your touch. You shuffle closer and move her right arm so it's around you, and continue to run your hand over her smooth skin while starting to kiss her neck.

You feel her quickened heart rate through the vein in her neck, and smirk, moving your hand lower and to the hem of her panties. You slide your fingers under it and caress the soft skin as she brings her arm under around your shoulders up so she can tangles her fingers in your hair. You breathe hotly against her neck as her chest begins to rise and fall quicker, her fingers tightening in your hair. You lower your hand and dip your fingers into her wetness, opening your mouth as she whimpers, opening her legs a bit wider.

You circle her clit with your two fingers, adding pressure, and shift, pulling your other arm from between the two of you, pushing yourself onto your elbow. Santana's arm drops as she turns her head. You answer her silent plea and press your lips against hers as your fingers continue to move in circles. Her breathing picks up as you quicken your movements and she lets out a whimper when you pull your hand from her panties to remove her bra.

She watches you with darkened eyes as you remove the article before you're taking one of her nipples in your mouth. You hold her gaze and squeeze her other breast, watching her suck in a shaky breath as her head falls back. You brush her hair from her face and she leans into the touch as your other hand moves back down into her underwear.

She bites her lip to hold back a moan and you push your fingers inside her, motioning them in a 'come hither' motion.

"Oh god!" she groans, tilting her head back as her left fist grips at the bed, the nails on her right hand lightly digging into your shoulder. You move your mouth from her breast to her mouth and kiss her deeply. Her hands tangle in your hair and you tilt your head, kissing her with everything you have as you keep moving your wrist. You pull back and rest your forehead against hers, watching her as her eyes close tightly. "Fuck…" she breathes out, her hands sliding from your hair to the nape of your neck where she holds, keeping your forehead against hers as you bring her to the peak. She lets out a guttural moan and you're pulled into another kiss.

Your hand slips out from her and the underwear, tracing her twitching abs as she pants against your lips. You leave your hand on her sternum and play with her hair as her eyes flutter. Her head lolls to the side, resting against your shoulder and you smile softly.

"God…" she mumbles before you both let out a chuckle. "I really needed that." She says and you still your hand, furrowing your brows as she runs a hand though her hair, letting out a breath. She drops her hand to the bed and you stare at her as she lets her eyes close. You watch her until you notice her breathing has evened out, and then roll onto your back and stare at the ceiling.

"I really needed that?" you question quietly, repeating her words, and turn your head to look at the sleeping woman. You turn your head back to look at the ceiling and bring the balls of your palms to your eyes, pressing hard as you shake your head. It was just another hook up.

* * *

**A/N: Whoop whoop! So you think you can hold off until Saturday now? Haha, so everybody, some of you had some interesting theories about what you believe I'm doing further in the story and I don't know...maybe you're right, maybe not. But whatever it is I promise you I'll try to make you happy with every chapter and if you ever feel like "Damn it, why!" just know the ending I have for this story shall make up for it...I hope. Haven't gotten that far but I have the idea in my head. **

**-B**


	22. Chapter 23 & Chapter 24

**A/N: LOL all your reviews were amazing! You guys had me sitting in my lectures and smiling like an idiot. Honestly. Yeah, Santana is being stubborn as hell rn, but all in due time, loves! Hope you enjoy this one. Well two, they're smashed together to make it longer for you all. Mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

January, 2015:

You open your eyes and let out a yawn, lifting your hand to cover it up as you glance around. You pause and throw your hand out, spreading your hand on the left side of the bed and look over, frowning at Santana's absence. Again.

You let out a sigh and push yourself up, the covers falling around your waist, and shiver. You furrow your brows, wondering how you actually got under the covers, and run a hand through your hair as you look around the floor, seeing your clothes on the top of your hamper. You swing your legs to get up out of bed and cross your arms over your chest as you go to grab an oversized hoodie.

You slip it on and grab a pair of boy shorts from your underwear drawer before you leave the bedroom.

You let out a sigh, pulling your hair from under your hoodie and smile at Chess lying on the couch chewing on that ball you bought him a while back. He lifts his head and the ball drops from his mouth, his tongue hanging out with a smile. You chuckle at him and turn, going to the kitchen, and jump, letting out a scream.

"Jesus, Pierce." Santana scrunches her nose as you lower your hands from your mouth, staring at her in shock. You run your eyes over her body. She was standing in front of the stove in her clothes. Her hair was in a ponytail and you just stare as she stirs whatever it was she was making.

"You're still here…" you say and Santana hums, nodding while lifting the pot and moving it to a different element, turning the heated one off. You move closer and rest against the island as you watch her grab milk and butter from the fridge. "You made mac and cheese?" you ask in confusion.

"Yeah, I woke up and I was kinda hungry and I figured you'd be hungry too so I helped myself." She shrugs while undoing the cap of the milk, pausing to look back at you, "Is that okay? I should've just went out and grabbed something." She says quickly, shaking her head as you step closer and hold your hand out to stop her.

"No, no, it's fine." You smile because…well, she stayed this time, and made you something to eat.

Santana offers a faint smile back before finishing up and putting the milk and butter back in the fridge. You grab two bowls from the cupboard and Santana scoops spoonfuls into each before putting the empty pot in the sink and beginning to clean it. You tilt your head, watching her curiously, and pull two glasses from the cupboard, filling them with water.

"Thanks." She says, drying the pot off before putting it away. You nod and lean forwards, bringing a spoonful of mac and cheese into your mouth. You moan quietly, not realizing how hungry you were until now, and look at the time.

"It's already seven?!" you exclaim incredulously and Santana nods, swallowing her spoonful. You shake your head and furrow your brows, "When did you wake up?"

"About an hour ago." She shrugs and you both look at Chess when he strolls into the kitchen and sniffs Santana's ankle. You watch her as she tenses faintly before relaxing and smile.

"I thought you were scared of dogs?"

"I was…I am…but, well, he's not bad. It's more big dogs." She tells you as you watch Chess begin to search the kitchen floor for drops of food.

You eat in silence and put your dishes in the dishwasher before you head over to the couch, pulling your legs under you as Santana puts her dishes in the dishwasher. You watch her and she watches you as she slowly walks to the chair your mother gave you.

"Santana…" you begin hesitantly, "No offense, I mean it's not like I don't want you here but…why are you still here? I mean, last time this happened, I woke up and you were gone." You shrug slowly and she nods.

"I know…"

"Actually, why did you come here in the first place?"

Santana narrows her eyes and glances around before holding her arms out, "Did you like just forget what went on or…"

"No, I know, but why did that happen?"

She shrugs and moves to sit in the chair, pulling one leg under her, "I don't know. I just came here." She admits and you nod slowly wanting her to continue, "It's not like we're not attracted to each other."

"I know but…"

"I actually have a proposition." She says cutting you off and you stop mid-sentence, closing your mouth as you shift. "I think we should continue this." She states, motioning between the two of you, "Sleeping together."

"E-excuse me?" you ask with a blush as she shifts, sitting on the edge of the chair.

"Look, it's a pretty prime idea. We live close to each other, we work with each other…why not take advantage of this?" she asks with a grin and you furrow your brows.

"Wait, let me get this straight…" you chuckle awkwardly, "You, Santana…" you say, pointing at her, "You think we should be…like friends with benefits?"

"Yes." She nods and you stare at her.

"Wha-no!" you shake your head, getting up.

"Why not?" Santana asks, turning around in the chair as you pace near the kitchen. You stop at her question and hold your hands out to the sides.

"Santana, _seriously_?" you scowl and she lifts her shoulders in confusion, "Were you not listening at Rachel and Quinn's when I said you were an _idiot_ for thinking friends with benefits is ever a good idea? Well Quinn said it but I agreed full heartedly." God this woman.

You shake your head, holding your hand out to stop her as she gets up and moves to stand in front of you, "Pierce, come on. Think hard about it. It makes sense. We have long, _exhausting_ hours and how perfect would it be to be able to have someone who understands what you're going through. Someone close who you can share your release with." She grins, moving closer as you shakes your head and look at the ground. "You can't deny that we have awesome sex."

You blush deeply and tuck hair behind your ear as Santana hooks her fingers in the elastic of your boy shorts, pulling your closer to her.

"Santana…" you look at her, shaking your head and she just nods with a growing smile. You sigh and she chuckles, smirking.

"Honestly, Pierce, it's great. We're both hot and we have hot sex. We're friends and we're comfortable enough around each other it shouldn't be a problem. We won't have to worry about falling for each other." She rolls her eyes with a laugh as you pull your bottom lip between your teeth, shaking your head. "Let's just try it out. Like a trial run. If you want to back out after a few days then fine." She says, running her hands up under your hoodie along your stomach.

You take in a sharp breath and swallow, looking at her eyes.

You were already falling for her, being friends with benefits is a terrible idea but…it's Santana. And she's so enchanting and captivating, it's taking a lot of strength not to give in and throw her on the couch. But agreeing would be like signing your soul to the devil. You already know that if you keep sleeping with Santana then you're going to fall in love with her and then be left heartbroken once she breaks it off or finds someone she actually wants to be with.

"So…"

"Santana, I-I can't." you mumble, wrapping your hands around her wrists, and pull her hands from under your hoodie as she furrows her brows slightly. You give her an apologetic look, a conflicted look, and step away from her with your eyes downcast.

"Why?" she asks, crossing her arms and you wet your lips.

"Because something always goes wrong when it comes having that type of relationship." You say, which is true, you just leave out the part about how you're falling for her already.

She just nods and looks around before offering a forced smile, "Okay, well, I'll see you at work." She says and you open your mouth to stop her but she is already grabbing her jacket and putting her shoes on.

"Santana…"

"It's fine, Pierce. It was just a suggestion." She shrugs and mumbles a goodbye to Chess before leaving your apartment. You slump against the wall, your mind screaming at you for being an idiot and not taking Santana up on her offer, and Chess sits at your feet, looking up at you.

"A walk isn't going to help clear my mind." You tell him and he just smiles his puppy smile and wags his tail. You roll your eyes and go to change.

**CHAPTER 24**

February, 2015:

"You've been hiding."

"I have not been hiding." You snort, sliding a curtain across to shelter a patient, "We haven't had a case come in for the past two days and I figured I'd offer some help down here."

"Right… So what the hell happened between you and Santana?" Quinn asks, looping her arm with yours as you turn into another all. You lift your brows in surprise and look at the other blonde woman.

"Uh, what?"

"She's back to her bitchy self."

"She's always been a bitch, Quinn." You rolls your eyes and Quinn laughs sarcastically as you hand the ER receptionist a patient file with a smile.

"No, this is her bitchy self that you were never introduced to. What you witnessed since being here was like a three on her bitch scale. She's at a seven." She states and you shrug, heading out of the clinic. "Brittany, we were talking on the phone last night and I just mentioned that the three of us should go to that sale at Victoria Secret and she flipped. Like I mean _flipped_." She squeezes your arm and you sigh, turning to face her as you stand in the foyer of the hospital.

"Look, Quinn, I don't know what's going with Santana, okay? We haven't spoken in like almost two weeks, besides when its case related."

"What?!" Quinn hisses with wide eyes, pulling your closer, "Why didn't you tell me? And what's the reason for that?" she asks as you try to pull her grip from you.

"We had a disagreement." You mumble and Quinn goes to question you further when the ER ambulance door burst open and the paramedics roll a pretty girl with light brown hair into the ER. "What's going on?" you ask one of them quickly, looking over the girl as you grab the tiny light from your lab coat pocket, looking at the girls eyes.

"Her name's Jenna. Twenty-eight," Santana says stepping in from the ambulance with her hand in her hair, wearing jeans, converse shoes, and her coat open to reveal her hoodie. Her hair falls in messy curls and she looks exhausted as she gives you and Quinn the information. "Tonic clonic seizer."

"Duration?" you ask, helping the paramedics move her to an open bed.

"Uh, a little over three minutes."

"You seem to know a lot about her." Quinn comments and you look at her, her brow arched expectantly, and then look at Santana as she clenches her jaw. Then it clicks. You drop your shoulders and your lips part. She was with her…she slept with her. You feel sick. And hurt. And pissed. And it would've been ten times worse if you continued to sleep with her like she wanted. Bravo for you. Nice call, Brittany.

"Uhm, do you…do you know what caused it?" you ask and Santana shakes her head, not having looked at you once yet.

"I-I don't know."

"Is she allergic to anything?" you continue and Santana shakes her head, watching as the paramedics set Jenna up in a bed.

"I don't know."

"Do you-"

"I don't know anything but what I've already told you, Brittany." She snaps and you clench your jaw while holding her harsh stare. "_God_, just…where's Puck?"

* * *

You sit with your team in the diagnostic office, holding a pen with both hands at each ends as Noah looks through the patient's file. _Jenna's_ file.

"This is her first seizer?" he asks Santana and she nods, running her hands over her face.

"That what she said." She mumbles as you stare at her with narrowed eyes. Ten days. It's been ten days since the two of you had spoken, unless it was related to work. All because you declined her proposition to be fuck buddies. You scowl and watch her continue to talk with Noah, barely hearing Mike throw in input every once in a while. _I say no and so she goes and finds some random girl to sleep with_, you growl inwardly and jump in surprise when your pen snaps in half.

It's quiet as everyone looks at you and you get up, dropping the pen in the garbage by the counter and put your hands on your hips.

"Pierce," Noah says and you look over at him. He lifts his shoulders, "Well?"

"Sorry, did you ask me something?" you blink quickly and shake your head at your out of it behavior.

He sighs and drops the file on the table, sliding it towards you before resting his hands on the table flat, "I asked if you had any ideas." You nod and pick up the file, glancing at Santana holding her head in her hands, before you flip open the file.

"Severe fatigue and retinal vein occlusion." You read before rolling your eyes and flipping the page, "Quite the catch, Santana." You mumble quietly, obviously not quietly enough.

"What?" Mike asks as Santana lifts her head with a glare.

"Oh," you say, feigning innocence, "She didn't tell you that she slept with her and she had the seizer at Santana's. That's how she knows her and why she looks as shitty as she does." You point out with a forced smile as Santana clenches her jaw, Mike looking at Santana in surprise as Noah massages his temple.

"Santana, tell me you didn't." Noah says and Santana just keeps her glare on you as you glance away from her. "Jesus. Now let me ask you this. Besides _sleeping_ with the patient what were you doing?"

"Look, she wasn't our patient last night." Santana argues, holding her hand out towards Puck with her voice laced with irritation.

"What did you do?" Noah asks firmly, stepping closer to the table with his arms crossed, jaw clenched. Santana clenches her own jaw before looking at the table with a glare. "God damn it, Lopez! I thought you stopped with that shit?" he snaps as Santana shakes her head in annoyance.

"Calm the fuck down, Puckerman. We had some drinks at the bar."

"If it's anything like your usual hook ups you took a few lines too!" he scolds her and Santana gets up and pushes him away from her.

"Get out of my face, Noah. I have enough to deal with right now." She snaps and you watch in shock, alongside Mike moving to separate the two if need be, as Noah grabs Santana by her wrists and pushes her back firmly but not too hard.

"Guys, stop." Mike says, moving between the two with his hands on each of the doctor's shoulders, keeping them away from each other as Santana glares at her cousin, Noah shaking his head at her in disappointment. "We need to get on with the case." He says, giving Noah a pointed look before letting his hands fall from their shoulders. "Now, Brittany, is she diabetic?"

"Why don't you ask Doctor Lopez, I'm sure she'd know." You say with a faux sweet smile, tilting your head at Mike as you glance at Santana, rolling her eyes with crossed arms.

"Pierce." Noah sighs and you put your cup on the table, looking at him with huff.

"No history of hypertension." You close the file and drop it lightly on the table before crossing your arms, "The seizer could be the result of dehydration or something _neurological_." You say with a pointed tilt of your head, glancing at Santana. She slowly looks at you with narrowed eyes and you look at Noah.

"Or the ecstasy we found in her system." You shift your gaze to Kurt poking his head in the room, holding out a paper from the new tests. Noah mutters curses under his breath with a firm look in Santana's direction as you look at her in disbelief.

"Thanks, Kurt." Noah mumbles and Kurt nods, glancing between you and Santana before leaving the room.

"Look, she didn't take the drugs at my place. I gave that up years ago, I told you that." Santana says to Noah and he shakes his head. "I'm telling you the truth. I didn't take any, she was with her friends when I met her. I think it's from dehydration which was obviously from the mix of cocktails and ecstasy." She states with a nod before giving Noah a firm look, "Which she took before I happened upon her."

"She hemorrhaged into her eye two years ago." Mike points out and Santana rolls her eyes.

"Not medically relevant."

"How is that not relevant?" you scoff.

"Well…" Santana begins slowly, turning her gaze to you, "Seeing as the retinal vein occlusion was fixed…kinda eliminates that aspect." She shrugs smartly with a mocking smile, "Besides her doctor said it was a venous anomaly."

"Yeah well, is her doctor in the room?" you ask, tilting your head upwards, "Because, it doesn't really matter what they said as of now, unless they happened to be there last night when she had the seizer." You grind your teeth and Santana clenches her jaw.

"Okay, what is going on with everyone today?" Mike asks, back in his spot, leaning back in the chair with his hands out to the sides in confusion. "Puck and Santana's issue I can understand but…what the hell is going on with you two?" he frowns, motioning between the two of you.

"Nothing."

"Can it, Chang." You and Santana snap in sync and Mike lifts his brows, lifting his hands in defense.

"Look," Noah shouts in annoyance and frustration, holding his hands out in front of him, looking at all three of you as he leans forwards, pressing his hands against the table top, "You two obviously have shit to work out, whatever it is, so fucking deal with it. On your own time. Right now I need you to fucking focus on the patient." He says lowly, piercing both you and Santana with pointed glares.

"What if the eye problem wasn't her vein, but with her blood?" Mike asks, trying to break the tension as you roll your eyes from Santana. "It would explain why she's always tired and why she seized."

"Or it's because she parties until 3:00am every night." Santana shrugs and you roll your eyes, looking up as you shake your head.

"Says you." You mutter and are pinned with a look from Noah. "Sorry." You mumble.

"She's visited four doctors in the past year." Santana points out, ignoring you, "None of them found anything. She's just a hypochondriac who drank too much."

"Blood clots explain everything." You say, getting everyone's attention, and you lean against the table with your hip. "Bone marrow's in overdrive, too many platelets."

Noah looks down at the table and you watch him nod thoughtfully before he looks to Santana, "Go get a marrow biopsy from her pelvis." You clench your jaw, looking down and glance up when Noah says your name. "Go with her."

Santana stops at the door, looking back with a disbelieving look as you try and find a polite way to say no.

"Um…no?" you say and Noah straightens, arching a challenging brow at you, "Noah, it's really not a good-"

"I don't care. Go with her and deal with your issues." He orders, pointing you towards the door. You glance from him to Santana, and sigh as you drop your arms, following after the Latina as she yanks the door open.

* * *

You scowl at Santana as the two of you stand in the small lab room with Jenna lying on her right side, her backside revealed to Santana standing behind her, wiping an area of her skin with a cleansing solution.

Jenna blinks up at you from looking at the bed beneath her and offers an awkward smile, nodding her head in greeting, "Uh, hi. I'm Jenna."

"She knows." Santana mumbles, readying the needle as you stand in front of the patient at her legs with your arms crossed, glancing from Jenna to Santana repeatedly. "I can do this alone, you do realize that?" Santana asks after huffing in annoyance.

You tighten your crossed arms and clench your jaws before unclenching, and looking around the room, "You've already done it. I guess that's why Noah wants me to chaperone. I'm not one to disobey my higher ups demands."

"That's rich, seeing as your first case you completely disregarded what any of us said-"

"Therefore saving my patient, sue me. That was when I didn't agree with any of you. I have no reason to go against what Noah tells me at the moment." You state firmly, looking at Santana as she glances up at you and then back down at Jenna, finishing setting the needle. "Although, let me know if you two have the desire to start kissing or groping, maybe even jumping into a shower, I'll be sure to give you some time alone." You add bitterly afterwards and Santana lowers her hands to her hips as she lets out a frustrated breath from her nose, glaring at you through her lashes.

"You'll have to excuse Dr. Pierce." Santana starts, pulling her glare from you to look at Jenna, "She's been a little moody as of late."

"I'm moody?" You laugh, nodding, "Okay."

"Wait…" Jenna says, propping her head up with her arm to look from Santana to you. "You're Dr. Pierce?" she asks with an arched brow and you straighten, glancing at Santana as Santana looks at Jenna in confusion.

"I am, why?"

"I…" Jenna begins before wincing and sucking in a sharp breath when Santana pushed the needle into her pelvis. "S-sorry, it's just Santana…"

"Santana what?" you ask quickly with lifted brows and Jenna winces again from the pain of the needle. "Let me guess, couldn't keep from complaining and insulting me along with the rest of her friends while you two were shacking up last night." You offer and Santana gives you a sharp look.

"L-look, obviously it's no secret we were together last night." Jenna says to you regarding her and Santana's affair, "And whatever you think we did…we did, probably more." You scowl faintly.

"Lights on or off?"

"I'm sorry do you have a medical rationalization for that?" Santana asks in annoyance.

"Light sensitivity."

"On." Jenna shrugs and Santana gives her an incredulous look.

"Hmm," you hum, looking at Santana with narrowed eyes, "Figured she'd more shame than that." You say as Santana stares at you. "She talk dirty or more so hand signals?" you push further as Santana grabs another part for the biopsy, giving you the dirtiest look while you just smirk tauntingly.

"She's pretty direct about what she wants to be honest." Jenna admits and Santana pushes the second part in with the needle, Jenna jaw dropping as she winces in pain.

"Really…" you draw out and Santana tenses, shaking her head to focus on her task as you continue to provoke a reaction. You watch Santana push down with some of her weight to push the needle further into the bone and glance at Jenna before wetting your lips and shifting, holding your head higher while reaching for a pad of paper and a marker. "Alright, scale of one to ten." You say.

"Seriously, Pierce?" Santana snaps, whipping her head in your direction. "Do not answer that." She tells Jenna while keeping her eyes on you and you hold back a grimace when you hear the needle go through the bone.

"Seven," she grunts with a wince and you're smirk grows as Santana looks at Jenna with wide, disbelieving eyes.

You click your tongue and turn the pad of paper around, displaying the large seven written in pen, the cap between your teeth as you smile at Santana and Jenna, "Would you look at that." You chuckle, putting the cap back on the marker as Santana's brows lift higher in even more disbelief. _Seven_, she mouths to herself. You give her a pointed look and she lets out a shaky breath before directing her gaze to her task at hand. You just smirk.

* * *

**A/N: One step forwards and two steps back, right? Don't freak out! We're on the right path, just a little obstacle. Brittany trying to provoke Santana...that was so fun. Let me know what you think! Update Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on when I remember to do it. :)**

**-B**


	23. Chapter 25

**A/N: I'm glad you're all liking it this much, haha. Thanks for the feedback and follows/favs, it's great. Someone commented on doctors being able to treat people they know, and yes but when it comes to sleeping with a patient no. So that's what Noah and them are talking about, even though Jenna wasn't Santana's patient when it went down.**

**I feel like it's half and half regarding Brittany's attitude last chapter lmao. maybe not exactly half and half but yeah. Some of you weren't too happy about bitchy Britt, which I can understand, and you pointing out it's unprofessional and all that, that was kind of the point, so yeah, but I get it. So here is the next chapter.**

**-B**

* * *

February, 2015:

"We had to use the paddles to stabilize her heart." Santana says with a sigh as you, Mike, and Noah come to stop beside her outside the patient's room. She looks over her shoulder at you before pulling her gaze away and turning to Noah. "You were right. She's not faking."

"Can I ask what you were doing in her room when this happened?" Mike asks curiously, his hand raised in the air.

You look from him to Santana as she sighs and crosses her arms, "I found out she was trying to get Noah to take her case for over a year and yeah…she used me."

"You mean like you used her." You point out and Santana spins on you.

"Okay, what the fuck is your problem?" she snaps and you just lift an unamused brow at her. "Seriously, you're being completely and utterly intolerable."

"Really? According to Quinn you've been even more of a bitch than usual lately." You laugh, "At first I didn't believe it but wow, you really are terrible." You say with a shake of your head and Santana scowls at you.

"Okay, enough!" Noah hisses, pushing the two of you apart. "I thought I told you two to talk out your damn issues?"

"Don't be an idiot." Santana says, pulling away from him to run her hands through her hair before crossing her arms.

"Eye issue, brain issue, and now a heart issue." Noah says each one firmly, looking from Santana to you and you let out a breath as you look at the ground, "It could possibly be the drugs."

"I thought you crossed them off?" Mike asks and Noah nods, glancing at Santana.

"But now, cardiac arrest means she could be a serious user."

"Great." She laughs sarcastically before shaking her head.

"What?" Mike asks and you look at Santana.

"This means either she brought something to my place or took something from my medicine cabinet. Either way Puck is going to search it because he doesn't believe me when I say I haven't done any of that shit in years."

"Since when is searching houses a thing we do?" you ask in confusion and Mike chuckles while Santana shakes her head.

"We've done it once or twice." He winks as Noah keeps his stare on Santana, "We do it when we suspect something in the patients house."

"And patients just hand the keys over?" you ask in disbelief.

"No." Santana grumbles, "If they know we're going to search the house then they'll try to hide things that we may confiscate."

"So you break in." You state and look at Noah who shrugs before looking at Mike, the Asian man doing the same. "Seriously?" you ask. "Can't you go yourself?"

Santana tenses and glances at you before shaking her head, "The only person that's been to my place is Quinn and it kills Puck that he hasn't been invited over, which is why he's going to make up some bullshit medical reason for me to have to stay here while he scopes it out." She says, looking at her cousin knowingly as he shrugs.

"Patients dad had bypass surgery. Which means she's a candidate for atherosclerosis. Get an ultrasound." He grins mockingly.

"You're not getting my keys so if you want to get in I'm coming with you." Santana gives him her own smug smile and Noah arches a brow.

"Pierce, can you pick a lock?" he asks and you straighten with wide eyes.

"Well…yeah but…" you say shaking your head and Noah nods.

"Great, let's go. Chang you make sure she gets the ultrasound done." He instructs as both you and Santana tense. He looks back at you and motions for you to follow him and you gape like a fish before closing your mouth and keeping your head down as you follow him.

* * *

You crouch down and Noah hands you a small kit. You open it and take out the two thin picks to unlock the door while shaking your head at him.

"You're her cousin and you're breaking into her apartment." You point out and Noah chuckles behind you as you squint, maneuvering the picks up and down, back and forth in the key hole.

"Five years and I haven't been to her place. We're blood yet she doesn't trust me enough to open up." He says as you turn the picks simultaneously, unlocking the lock. You pull the picks out, putting them away and hand the kit back to Noah before standing up. "By the way, I know how Mike knows how to pick a lock, along with Santana, but you?"

"A story for a rainy day, Noah." You say airily, brushing your pants off as he opens the door and you follow him inside. You don't know why but you were a little nervous about looking through Santana apartment. You'd be nervous about breaking into anyone's apartment and looking around but it being Santana's just adds to it; especially with the condition of your relationship as it was.

You don't know why you kept pushing her in the lab or outside the patient's room. Well…no okay you do, but you weren't that type of person.

And this was just wrong.

You stand at the door as Noah hands you latex gloves, pulling his own on, and look up from your hands to watch him stalk around the open apartment.

"You know, with how secretive she is I'd always thought there was a reason for it." He says, looking around her kitchen, "Like a sex swing or something." He nods as you roll your eyes. "Come on, Pierce, sooner we find something the sooner we can leave. You can start with the bedroom." He says and you pause mid step, snapping your head around to look at him in shock. He slowly lifts his head up from behind the island and arches a brow. "Well?"

"Uh, y-yeah." You nod and quickly head to her bedroom. You glance back over your shoulder, Noah's head under the kitchen sink, and push her room door open.

The first thing you notice is the unmade bed, causing you to clench your jaw in jealousy. You pick up a hideous blue sweater from the foot of the bed and think there is no way Santana would wear that, scowling when you realize its Jenna's. You squish it into a ball and throw it to the ground before sitting on the edge of the bed and opening one of the night table drawers. You furrow your brows at the inhaler and close the drawer with your foot, glancing around before you see the bathroom off the bedroom and head over.

"So, Pierce," Noah calls coming into the bedroom.

"In here." You call, squinting as you read the label on the prescription bottle.

"What's going on with you and my cousin?" he asks, leaning against the door frame. You put the medicine back and close the cabinet door gently, looking at him in the mirror as you shrug.

"We just got into a disagreement a few days ago."

"A few days meaning like two weeks ago." He chuckles, "We're not all oblivious around you. You two at Kurt's party looked pretty comfortable with the other, and the next time I see you, it's like your first day, only worse." He says and you lean back against her sink as you listen, nodding softly.

"I don't know. Like I said, we argued, she stopped talking to me. Today has been the most we've spoken since we've been back from the holiday." You tell him and he gives a tight smile before you do a double take and furrow your brows. "What's that?" you ask.

* * *

"Brown Recluse. We found it at your apartment." Noah says to Santana when you two walk into the office after returning from her apartment.

You sink into one of the chairs as Santana leans forwards to look at the spider in the little clear jar Noah placed on the table.

"Their venom can cause seizures and heart problems." He adds, sitting on the edge of the table next to Santana as she scrunches her nose at the arachnid. "Did the ultrasound show anything?"

"No." she says quickly before leaning back in her chair with crossed arms, "What room did you find it in?"

"Bathroom." You tell her and Noah smiles.

"Nice, bidet by the way."

Santana rolls her eyes as do you, Mike chuckling as he walks in.

"All I heard was nice bidet." He cracks an amused grin and folds his arms, standing near you and looks down, "What'd I miss?" he asks you before looking at Santana, "Also, you have a bidet?"

"I don't have a bidet." She states with an irritated look.

"Besides the spider, guess what else I found?" Noah grins slowly, Santana's brows lifting slowly as you watch worry move across her face. You look at Noah when he pulls Santana's inhaler from his pocket and frown.

"When did you even…"

"Yes, my inhaler is so fascinating. It comes with its own extensive online following." Santana scoffs as Noah shakes his head, placing the inhaler on the table next to the spider.

"Firstly, why do I not know you need this, we're cousins. That's something I should know. And second, the face you made when you knew I had something in my pocket, not knowing it was your inhaler, is crap, Lopez. That just means there is something at your apartment you're worried I would find." Noah sighs, clasping his hands in his lap as he looks at her with a semi hurt expression.

"Look people don't need to know everything about me." Santana says.

"But why would you hide asthma?" Mike asks in confusion.

"I…Look it doesn't matter. What matters is that this spider bite thing is irrelevant unless the patient actually got bit." She state loudly in annoyance getting up.

"Woah, where are you going?" Noah asks, holding his hand out to stop Santana. She turns slowly on her heels and lifts her shoulders.

"To do the exam." She says as if it was obvious and Noah chuckles, shaking his head.

"No. Pierce will do the exam."

"Why me?" you ask, glancing towards Santana as she furrows her brows with crossed arms.

"Because you haven't slept with her."

"Exactly why I should do it. I've seen it all before so she wouldn't be as uncomfortable."

"Sure." Noah nods before whistling and pointing you to the door. You get up reluctantly with a huff and fix the sleeves of your lab coat as you leave the room.

* * *

You slow as you come to stop in front of Jenna's room and look at her through the glass as she stares up at the ceiling, tapping her hands on her stomach.

You really didn't want to have to do the exam. The girl Santana just slept with. And you have to basically grope her naked for a freaking spider bite. Do spiders even bite anymore? Hasn't that been done with Spiderman once already? You groan quietly in frustration and step into the room, getting the patients attention, and close the door behind you, moving to the blinds.

You pull on the string, closing the blinds and blocking the view from the hall into the room before scratching your head and barely casting her a glance as you grab some gloves from the tiny cabinet.

"I'm going to need you to take off your gown." You tell her, glancing over your shoulder before wincing when the end of the glove snaps against your wrist.

"Can I ask why exactly?" Jenna asks, sliding off the bed to her feet.

"I need to check for a spider bite." You tell her walking over slowly as she begins to untie the gown.

"I think I would've felt a spider biting me." She chuckles as you lift your brows.

"Not necessarily." You tell her firmly, stopping to stand in front of her. She arches a brow and you motion for her to remove the gown. She shakes her head with an amused chuckle and pulls it from her body, tossing it back onto the bed as you glance over her.

"Why did they send you? Why not Santana?"

"I don't know." You tell her, stepping forwards while lifting her right arm out to the side, running your hand over her skin. She hums and you keep your eyes on her arm, feeling her watch you, and glance at her as you run your hand back and down her side.

She takes a breath and wets her lip, looking at your eyes, "She was pretty upset earlier."

"You used her." You point out and she laughs.

"And she used me."

"Something tells me her motives were quite clear when you met." You tell her, moving your hand over her stomach and go to her other side, running your hand up. "Something also tells me this was a one night stand and she didn't intend on seeing you again." You mumble, moving behind her. You run your hands across her should blades and down her arms before crouching down, leaning away from her backside.

"And something tells _me_ that there is something between the two of you that has nothing to do with work." She comments as you pause from letting your hands roam over her back. You clench your jaw, staring at the barely visible bumps of her spine, and let out a breath. You stand up and lift her left arm out to the side, mirroring what you did with her right when she speaks again, "You like her, don't you?" she more so states than asks and your hands freeze as you stare ahead at the wall.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you clearly aren't fond of me and all you know about me is that Santana and I slept together." She shrugs and you put your hands on her shoulders, telling her to keep still. "Then there was the whole ordeal during the marrow biopsy."

You hum, moving her hair over her shoulder to look at her neck, and check behind her ears.

"I'm guessing you slept together too."

"Why do you say _that_?" you repeat distractedly, squinting as you move your hands down her spine, your eyes following the movement.

"It took her two drinks and a smile to get me in bed with her. You're with her all day every day. I don't know you, and I mean no offence, but there isn't any way you could resist her charm."

"That's suggesting I'm into women." You say, running your hands over her hips.

"You don't have to be into women to be into Santana." She laughs, "Also, I saw you check me out." She says and your brows lift in complete shock as she looks back at you, smiling faintly, "I'm sure you'd match her seven, maybe top it." She says softly, looking at your lips as yours part, and she leans in, her nose almost brushing yours when you pull your head back with furrowed brow. "You didn't have to move your hand." She chuckles and you blink and shake your head, furrowing your brows further.

"I didn't." you say, looking at your hand on her hip, "My hands on your hip, you can't feel that?" you ask, tapping your finger against her hip.

Jenna looks at your hand and you look at her, your eyes searching as she glances back, shaking her head, "No. Is that bad; what does that mean?"

"It means it's not a spider bite."

* * *

**A/N: Jenna you slut. Just hitting on Brittany too. Damn woman. But Brittany no fall for dat, nah nah nah. Update for Friday? or wait until Sunday to get back into the original groove?**

**-B**


	24. Chapter 26

**A/N: Friday it is! Okay, laughing at your comments about Jenna because omg. And holy hell, BRITTANA EP TONIGHT! So excited, my god. Here's chapter 26. Hope you enjoy, loves! Mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

February, 2015:

You walk into the office with a full coffee the next morning, needing a strong kick than tea provides, not having relaxed with having to treat Santana's most recent lover. Mike lifts his head from table, and drops his chin into his hand tiredly as Noah stirs a coffee at the counter.

"Morning." You greet lightly, placing your mug on the tale before pulling on your lab coat.

"Blood tests confirm low potassium level." Santana says as she burst through the doors to the office, stopping right before bumping into you. You look at her in surprise as she glances to Noah, holding the test results out. "That explains the numbness in her hip."

"The low potassium means her heart problem was a symptom of her kidney problem." Noah says, sinking into a chair as Santana crosses her arm beside you, listening intently. You cover a yawn and take a big sip of coffee, running a hand through your wavy hair. "So what caused the kidney problem?"

"I.G.A Nephropathy?" Santana suggest and you scrunch your nose, giving a small shake of your head.

"Not without blood in her urine." You comment tiredly.

Santana looks at you and furrows her brows, "P.S.A.G.N?"

You blink and shrug, lifting the coffee to your lips once again. Santana grabs the coffee from you, holding her hand out for your answer and you huff, "Santana, I'm tired. Give me my caffeine." You tell her.

"You all need to wake the hell up. The sooner we figure out what's wrong with her, the sooner she can leave." She says.

"P.S.A.G.N doesn't fit. Her blood pressure is normal."

"Renal Tubular Acidosis." Santana states and you groan, reaching for your coffee. Santana switches it to her other hand and holds it away from you, looking at Mike and Noah for agreement. "Her kidneys don't filter out the acid in her blood. Excess acid drives down potassium; causes kidney calcifications." She explains, lifting her brows suggesting the possibility.

"Santana, I will snap you in half." You snap and everyone looks at you in surprise as you snatch the coffee from her. "I'm tired and I get moody." You explain with narrowed eyes.

"If it's RTA she'll only need sodium bicarbonate for the acid and the surgery to remove the calcifications. CT her kidneys." Noah nods, lifting his coffee, "If we see calcifications we have our diagnosis." He says and Santana nods quickly, leaving the room as you watch her go.

"So, Brittany," Mike chuckles and you look at him, "Rough morning?"

"Don't start with me." You warn him with a playful eye roll, taking long sip of coffee before motioning for Mike to follow you after Santana.

* * *

You were helping Mike in the operation room, taking Santana's place due to her relationship with the patient. You had on the scrubs, hat, and mask, everything after washing to your elbows.

You look at the CT monitor and squint your eyes, "CT shows one more calcification near the superior pyramid on the left kidney." You tell Mike, looking at him as he holds the two tools in his hands, almost needle like with one having a camera on the tip which was as of now inside Jenna. Mike moves the tools towards the left kidney to see and you nod, glancing to him before looking back at the monitor.

"I see it."

You watch the screen as Mike moves the camera to the side, and see the second tool move forwards towards the buildup. The tool sucks the buildup away and you nod, watching the screen as Mike slowly retracts the tools.

"Alright, let's close the incisions." Mike says, handing the tools to one of the others in the room. You let out a sigh and look at him with a faint smile.

"Nice, she won't even have a scar."

He chuckles and nods before you both look towards the monitors when it starts beeping erratically.

"Her O2 stats are dropping." you say and he curses under his breath as you watch her 73 drop to 69 and continue "Did you nick something?" you question and Mike shakes his head squinting at the screen.

"Procedure was clean. Her BP is strong…" he says in confusion as you look at the monitor, moving one of the others out of your way.

"Yeah, well she's not breathing." You say and he shakes his head in confusion, "We need to incubate." You tell him, reaching for the metal curved tool. Mike nods and removes her mask as you reposition her head, tilting her chin up a bit and stand at her head, looking down at her. You open her mouth and glance at Mike before lifting the tool and slide it into her mouth, and throat, the beeping continuing.

Mike grabs the next bit and hands it to you, and you slide it in before pulling the metal out and grabbing the artificial lung, clipping it at the top of the tube in her throat, squeezing the air into her lungs and let out a breath when her O2 begins to regulate. You look at Mike and he lifts his shoulders.

* * *

"Her breathing problem started after we fixed the kidney. Which means RTA isn't the underlying cause." Mike says as you stand in Noah office portion of the diagnostic off, his arms crossed as you step back from putting the x-ray on the panel

Noah rubs his face and his pause before he looks at you and Mike with narrowed eyes, "Where's Lopez?"

You and Mike look at each other before looking back at Noah and shrugging, having no idea where she is. "It's not her lungs. No masses, no infiltrates." You tell him and he nods, leaning back in his desk chair as he and Mike look at the x-ray.

"Her lungs are working but she still can't breathe."

"Distribution plant can't distribute without it's deliveries." Mike says with a shrug and you glance at him with an arched brow. "If the lungs are fine, maybe the problem is in the supply lines. Airway collapse." He suggests and you purse your lips in thought, nodding faintly.

"Makes sense." You agree, holding your hand out as you glance between Mike and Noah, "That could signal an autoimmune or some kind of dystrophy as the underlying cause."

"Only one way to find out." Noah nods before grabbing the phone on his desk and punching in numbers, bringing it to his ear, "Get her on a treadmill. We'll do a methacholine challenge." He says and you both nod before leaving the room, not before hearing, "Where the hell are you?" being grumbled into the phone.

* * *

You step out of the bathroom stall and go to the sink to wash your hands before leaving the room. You walk down the hall and slow, furrowing your brows when you hear arguing in hushed voices. You move to the end of the wall and glance around the corner, widening your eyes as Santana rolls her eyes at when Noah is saying to her.

You've never seen him this ticked off with her and to be honest you're kind of nervous. If he snaps, he could really hurt her, not that he would, but everyone has their breaking point.

"You need to get your god damn act together, Santana." He scolds and she crosses her arms tightly over her chest as Noah turns and paces in front of her. "For god sakes. We could've used you at the differential. Do you not think you need to follow the rules as everyone else does? Just because we're family does not give you leeway."

"Please, we both know it does." Santana laughs coldly and Noah stops pacing, straightening as he unbuttons his suit jacket, putting his hands on his hips.

"You're right. It did. But not anymore." He says sternly, giving her a serious look and you lift your brows higher, "I mean it, prima, whatever you have going on in that head of yours that is making you a complete mess…you need to deal with it. Whatever you're doing, needs to stop."

"For fuck sakes, Puck! I am not taking drugs." Santana hisses, pushing her head forwards, "I haven't since the last time I said I wouldn't. I haven't broken that promise."

Noah shakes his head, looking towards you and you step back quickly out of his line of sight and rest your head back against the wall.

"You're my baby cousin, my sister basically. I should be able to trust what you're telling me right now but…Santana, I can't. You haven't been proving me wrong. I think…I think I should take you off the case."

"What?" Santana gasps as do you in surprise, "No. You can't. I should be here."

"I can't trust you right now. Not in this case. You're all about keeping your emotions in check during a case, but right now…Be glad I didn't fire you, prima." You hear him say before you hear his footsteps fade away.

You let your head fall back against the wall and look around before groaning and pushing away from it, turning the corner to see Santana staring at the wall with her jaw clenched.

"Hey." You say breathlessly and Santana glances at you before shaking her head and looking away. "Look, I'm sorry for how I've been trying to provoke you and everything. It's just with what happened last week and I don't know." You mumble lamely. "When you proposed that…idea, you said we were friends." You tell her and Santana looks at you with an arched brow, shrugging. "I just think it's ridiculous that because I said no, suddenly we're not anymore."

"What do you want me to say, Pierce?" Santana sighs defeated, running a hand through her hair. "This whole situation is fucked up. And I have to say it's your fault."

"How is it my fault?" you ask in disbelief and Santana cracks a faint grin and you roll your eyes. "You're an ass."

She chuckles and nods before you two fall silent.

"I'm sorry I've been an ass."

"And I'm sorry about the case. And Noah."

"Whatever, he's just trying to protect me." She rolls her eyes, "But the idiot doesn't realize I don't need it. He has convinced himself I'm blatantly lying to his face about substance that he doesn't even hear me when I speak."

"Yeah, what's going on with that?"

"That's a story for another time, Pierce." She says and you shrug and look around before sighing.

"You know…" you draw out, glancing at her with a twinkle in your eye. Santana looks at you and you grin, "You could always work on the case without it being your official case."

"I'm not following." Santana shakes her head in confusion and you roll your eyes, moving your hands to rest on her folded arms as you duck your head with a smile.

"Obviously you won't be able to administer medication but that doesn't mean you can't run tests we already have samples for or review her charts and file. Just like…come to me if you have something and I'll do the signing, you know?"

Santana slowly grins mischievously at the idea, nodding fondly at it before glancing at you, her smile falling. "I've been such a bitch, why would you even-"

"Because we're friends." You tell her before smiling softly, running your thumb over her wrist lightly. "And I trust you." You add with a shrug and watch her shoulders relax.

Santana takes a breath, letting it out slowly before nodding, "Okay."

"Okay."

* * *

You lean over the lit table in the light box x-ray examination room, watching Santana as she runs her eyes over the image of Jenna's chest x-ray. She huffs and runs a hand through her hair, looking up at you as you offer a tight lipped smile.

"I should've asked before but can you get me caught up?" she asks and you smile, moving to her side as you look at the x-ray. You scan over it before resting your right hand on the table, looking at Santana.

"The films are clean. We ruled out hypertension. Mike has her on a treadmill, running a methacholine challenge." You inform her and she nods, shifting her gaze from you to the film on the table. You watch her lips purse before they part and she wets them.

"Did you discuss whether this lung field looks a little dark?" she asks and you furrow your brows, leaning closer as you take a look, following her finger as she shows you the area.

"It's probably just a little over-exposed." You mumble and Santana slowly looks at you.

"Or her diaphragm is a little too flat." She suggests and you lift your brows. "It could be a sign of hyperinflation which…" she draws out, nodding to you.

You furrow your brows, looking again at the film and shake your head slowly, "Which suggests a pulmonary obstruction." You finish her thought.

"Lung cysts." You both say in realization.

"They wouldn't show on an x-ray." She says and you nod before you look at Santana, her eyes wide as she grabs your arm, "The treadmill isn't going to close her airway. It'll make her lungs explode." She says and you both hurry to find the patient as you rip out your cell and dial Mike's number.

* * *

You and Santana rush through the doors and you stop, seeing Jenna on the floor with Mike kneeling beside her, checking her throat as Kurt checks over her.

"We made her airway collapse, but it's not collapsed." Mike says to Kurt as you get moving, Santana pushing the door to treadmill room open.

"You ruptured a cyst." Santana states and you slow in the door behind her, watching her as she moves quickly to a table to the side as Mike shakes his head in confusion. "Her lung collapsed." She says as she moves to Jenna, unwrapping a needle from its wrapper.

"Breath sounds on both sides." Kurt says and you lightly pull him away by his arm to give Santana room as she grunts for Mike to move out of her way.

He jumps out of the way as Santana falls to her knees, checking Jenna's neck, "Trachea's deviating to the left." She states and stabs the open ended needle into the right side of her chest. Jenna coughs and gasps for a breath as Santana hangs her head in relief before glancing back at you.

She gives a faint smile in thanks and you nod, tucking your hair behind your ear as Jenna's breathing regulates.

* * *

**A/N: Awwww, see their fight is over. Noah and Santana tho, man. Brittany and Mike's friendship is hilarious. I love them together in almost every ff. **

**Soooo, because I'm in a good mood right now, idk why, I will not be making ya'll wait until Tuesday. Next chapter will be up Sunday, and then we'll get back into the original swing of things, okay? Now I have to head out for coffee with my bud.**

**-B**


	25. Chapter 27

**A/N: Okay, we're back on track now, nice :) This one is a bit longer than the others so you don't have to endure that much medical drama in other chapters coming up. There are three parts in this chapter that I adore that I will let you in on at the bottom. But until then, here's chapter 27. Hope you guys like it ;) Also, from now on, I mean I could've done it from the beginning even though I didn't think of it, but would you guys want me to start giving brief descriptions of what each diagnosis is in the end Author's note when there is one in the chapter so you're more aware of what the hell is going on with the patient? Just let me know, I'll do it for this chapter anyway.**

**-B**

* * *

February, 2015:

"Chest CT confirmed multiple lung cysts, one of which burst during the treadmill test."

"Luckily, Santana was there to re-inflate her lung." You state, breaking Noah's narrowed gaze from his cousin. He looks at you before nodding at Mike to continue while you and Santana share a glance.

"Lung cysts plus all her other symptoms could be amyloidosis which we can manage or pulmonary fibrosis-"

"Thank you." Noah cut her off and Santana slowly closes her mouth her brows raised. "Pierce, Chang, you can biopsy the cyst."

"You took me off this case because you thought I couldn't handle it. I just proved to you-" Santana tries, her voice rising before Noah cuts her off once again.

"You just proved that you know how to make an entrance." He states and Santana clenches her jaw as you shake your head, looking at the carpet.

"Noah, she deserves another shot." You tell him as Santana stares at the window, shaking her head. Noah leans back in his chair and arches a brow at you, "She found the cysts and saved the patient." You add, holding your hand out towards Santana.

"So you two dealt with whatever issue you were having." He notes, "It took me removing one of you from the case for you to get your shit together. I shouldn't have to do that. You're professionals for crying out loud." He runs his hand over his shaved head and you cross your arms, "Besides, our patient wouldn't have needed saving if she decided to show up to the differential in the first place."

"Just bring her back on, Noah." You say in faint annoyance and he shrugs his shoulders.

"Or you'll what?" he asks knowingly and you clench your own jaw, looking at the ground. "Go do the biopsy." He orders and Mike moves first before you give Santana an apologetic look and follow after the Asian.

* * *

You sigh heavily as you sink into the booth seat across from Santana. She lifts her head and you chew on your bottom lip while sliding her one of the lattes in your hand. She mumbles a thanks and you nod, taking a sip as you run over what you're going to tell her.

"The biopsy of her lung cyst showed smooth muscle cells. She has LAM, Santana." You tell her and she lowers the latte from her lips. "Noah's getting the papers filed to do the surgery." You add and she slowly wets her bottom lip, lowering her gaze to the table top as she nods slowly.

"They'll just come back." She shrugs slowly, looking up at you and you nod reluctantly, "Little by little they're going to replace her lung tissue until…they stop working."

You nod and tighten your hands around the latte, watching Santana, "Noah believes she'll has about ten years."

Santana lifts her latte to her lips, staring far off as she sips.

"I thought you'd want to know before we tell her in case…"

"In case what?" she asks, "In case I want to tell her?" she asks with furrowed brows and you just look at her. She lets out heavy breath and shakes her head, "Pierce, I might handle delivering bad news a little better than you but I can't. Not to her, you know? It'll just make it worse." She says and you swallow, nodding as you get up. You grab your latte and stop from leaving when Santana grabs your wrist, squeezing gently, "Thank you." She says softly and you nod before leaving.

* * *

You walk towards Jenna's room the next morning, flipping through her file trying to find an alternative diagnosis and smile politely in greeting as you pass a few nurses in the hall before coming to a stop at Jenna's room.

You pause from lifting your hand to open the door when you see Santana sitting with Jenna, smiling faintly as they talk. You watch Santana's smile grow as she chuckles at whatever Jenna says and tilt your head when you focus on Jenna.

Her eyes were bright and smile wide as she watched Santana laugh, and you wet your lips, swallowing down the green monster pushing to creep its way up from inside you. You shake your head and open the door slowly, knocking with the hand holding the file as you offer the two smiles.

"Morning." Jenna smiles, sitting up further in her bed as Santana looks at you with a smile, nodding in greeting. She looks perfect even in leggings a hoodie and her hair in a ponytail. You clear your throat as you glance down and let out a breath as you walk over.

"Morning." You reply, standing at the foot of her bed, "How are you holding up?" you ask Jenna and she nods.

"I'm feeling okay. Santana's managed to take my mind off the situation."

"That's good." You say, looking at her file before glancing at Santana, her arms crossed as she itches to look at the file as well. You arch a brow and she lifts her gaze to your eyes, mumbling an apology as she straightens.

"I don't mean to be nosy but," Jenna asks with a chuckle, "Are you…I mean, I know you said you weren't," she tells you and your eyes widen slightly as you stare at her not daring to look at Santana when her head turns to you, "But were you together once? I'm just curious." She shrugs and you and Santana exchange awkward glances before shaking your heads, you clearing your throat.

"No, we're just friends." You tell her. "Anyway, I'm just here to look over your monitor." You tell her and move to her bed side, looking at the monitor and writing down her stats into the file. You finish the touch up on her chart and close the file as you give her and Santana a nod, stopping from leaving when you see something.

"What?" Santana asks, catching your furrowed brows, and you motion her over. She walks around to stand beside you as you move Jenna's gown to the side, revealing her wrapped side, blood seeping through the gauze. "Shit." She breathes, looking at you and you nod, straightening and run your hand through your hair.

"What's going on?" Jenna asks, her voice shaky, and you wet your lips.

* * *

"All of her blood counts are down." Santana says as the two of you walk into the diagnosis office. Mike furrows his brows from getting a coffee and you frown, glancing around.

"Where's Noah?"

"He had to talk to Schuester." He says while putting the spoon he used to stir his coffee on the counter, moving to the whiteboard, "So blood counts are down." He asks and you nod, moving closer to the board as Santana follows closely behind you. "It's a new symptom." He comments, writing it on the board.

"Aplastic Anemia." Santana suggests and you purse your lips in thought, nodding faintly.

You hear the door open and look behind you at Noah walking into the room with a binder in his hand. He stops when he sees Santana and looks at you and Mike with his shoulders lifted before looking at Santana.

"Lopez, you're off the case. What are you doing here?" he asks, moving to his office. You watch him open his door, placing the binder on his desk before he comes back out, arms crossed, "Go finish some clinic hours." He waves her towards the door and Santana lets out a heavy breath, glancing at you before shaking her head in defeat.

"Wait, Noah," you say, grabbing Santana's arm. Everyone looks at you and Noah lifts a brow while you shift, letting go of Santana, "Just let her do the case. She's already proved she can handle it. Sure it was difficult in the beginning but she's fine now." You tell him, "And to be honest, I think you're being a little too hard on her. You're letting your feelings get in the way of your medical judgment because she's family and you can't stand the thought of her breaking your trust. That's a personal issue, and if you were thinking and acting professionally, you'd let her back on the case because that's what's best for our patient." You tell him.

"Pierce, you don't really have a place to-"

"Listen, Puck, I agree with her." Mike says with a sigh and Noah lifts his brows, giving him an expectant look to explain. "Santana saved the patient. If it wasn't for her she's be dead right now. And yeah, you've been way too hard on her for this hook up thing. You're making it personal when our focus is supposed to be on Jenna."

Noah blinks and looks between the three of you as you look at Santana and back at Noah, "I trust her, Noah."

"It pains me to say it but I do too. When it comes to our patients." Mike chuckles and Santana rolls her eyes with a twitch of her lips.

"Thanks." Santana mumbles quietly and Mike nods, clapping her on the shoulder as he moves to sit at the table.

Noah nods slowly, keeping his arms crossed.

"Fine. You're back on the case."

You break into a smile and look at Santana as she blinks in disbelief, smiling, "But only because these two convinced me and I agree that I have made it personal. Our patient doesn't deserve that, and our best shot at helping her is with you back on board."

"Thanks, Puck." She smiles faintly and he nods, looking at the board.

"Low blood counts." He states, "So now if we don't figure out what's wrong with her she has days, not years." He says. "Aplastic anemia takes LAM off the table. Unfortunately none of our other choices are any better."

"PNH with some sort of respiratory infection." You say and Mike scratches his forehead.

"Best case gives her twelve years." Santana nods slowly, shifting on her feet, her arm brushing yours.

"Or fast-moving Langerhans." Mike offers with a held out hand.

"A few months." Santana states and you look at her. "Mastocytosis, which can cause systemic shock and kill her in days." She says to you and you lean back against the table, resting your hands on the table. Santana sits on the edge of the table and crosses her legs.

"Test for everything." Noah says and you all nod, getting up.

You, Santana, and Mike leave Noah in the office, heading for the lab and Santana grabs your wrist before you follow Mike to turn into a different hall, and you stumble back, looking at her in surprise.

"What?" you ask as Santana glances around before leaning up and pecking your lips quickly. You open your eyes and blink repeatedly in shock as Santana licks her lips and lifts her brows, nodding. "W-what…uh," you clear your throat, shaking your head, "What was that for?" you ask with a faint blush.

"I don't know." She says with furrowed brows, "Thanks, I guess? So y-yeah, let's…testing." She says and you nod.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Right." You stare at each other before the both of you turn and head after Mike.

* * *

"This is taking forever." Mike mumbles, turning on his stool to face you across the room testing for other diseases.

"Yeah well, what can you do?" you mumble in reply before huffing, "She doesn't have Langerhans."

Santana sighs heavily from the table next to you and you and Mike both look at her, "She's going to need a bone marrow transplant." She says, looking at you before glancing at Mike.

"You got something?" he asks, getting to his feet as you lift your brows.

"I don't know." She says and you furrow your brows as does Mike, while he crosses his arms.

"Santana, jumping to a marrow transplant without even knowing what she has-" Mike begins.

"She has a blood disorder." She shrugs as you lean forwards, resting your chin in your hand, listening, "Could be PNH, she'll need a marrow transplant. Or Leukemia, she'll need a marrow transplant. Or Thalassemia, and she'll still need a marrow transplant." She states.

"Okay, but she'll never survive total body irradiation."

Santana chews on her bottom lip and glances at you and you slowly drop your hand, lifting your head, "You're thinking we don't radiate her." You say and she shrugs.

"Her bone marrow is nearly wiped out already. Her counts almost zero."

"Almost is the key word there, Lopez." Mike says shaking his head in disbelief, "The new marrow will wipe out the old marrow. She'll die from graft-versus-host."

"I know but…look do we have any better ideas?" Santana asks, "Because I can't think of anything and the sooner we do something the sooner she gets better."

"Santana…" you say, getting up. She looks at you and you walk closer, stopping beside Mike as you run a hand through your hair, "This is crazy."

"I know." She nods. You stare at her as she shakes her head, stuttering to come up with something and tilt your head, glancing at her lips. "But we need something or-"

"Wait." You say slowly, stepping forwards. Santana watches you closely as you lean closer, looking at her lips and glances at Mike.

"What are you doing?" Mike asks in confusion as Santana looks back at you.

"Your lips are cracked." You tell her, glancing at her eyes. "Have you been using your inhaler lately?" you ask, leaning back with a thoughtful expression as Santana touches her lips.

"Uh, allergies. Why is this-"

You furrow your brows and look at Mike and see the light bulb go off in his head.

"She didn't cry." You tell him and his lips twitch upwards.

"What?" Santana asks in confusion and you look at her holding your hands out.

"When I told her she had LAM, that she was going to die. She didn't cry." You tell her with a growing smile as Mike starts to chuckle. He hits your arm lightly before heading out of the lab.

"Come on." He tells you both and you smile, grabbing Santana's hand to follow after him quickly.

"Brittany, what's going on?" she asks and you stop, her name leaving her lips for the first time and widen your eyes, your smile growing even further before you squeeze her hand and once again pull her after Mike.

* * *

"Did you get the results back?" Noah asks as he bursts into Jenna's room, you and Santana to her left with Mike sitting on a stool on her left.

"We didn't finish them." You tell him and he holds his hands out in question when Mercedes pokes her head in the room with an arched brow. She looks to you and walks in, holding out an onion.

"I don't know what the reason is and I don't know if I even want to know." She sighs, handing you the vegetable and a knife. You grin and hand them to Mike.

"Chopping an onion releases a mist of syn-propanethial- s-oxide, a chemical irritant that makes people have a very predictable reaction." He says while squinting and glancing away from the onion, blinking rapidly.

"What's going on?" Noah asks before Mercedes shushes him, her arms crossed and an intrigued look on her face. He lifts his brows and looks at you and Santana, both of you shaking your head.

"She has no tears." Santana says in disbelief when Mike holds the onion close to her face.

"She has sjogren's." you say to Noah, nodding towards Jenna. "It attacks the glands that produce tears and saliva."

"Which also cause lung cysts and RTA." Mike grins, handing Mercedes the onion.

"But it doesn't cause bleeding." Santana says and Mike shakes his head.

"Not usually but that doesn't mean it can't."

"Okay, but how did you get this from my cracked lips?" she asks, pulling her gaze from Mike to you and you nod.

"Lack of spit makes her mouth a breeding ground for a fungus like Candida." You explain while looking at her, "Your inhaler did the same for you. Wiped your mouths immune system."

"So wait, she has what I have?"

"Just the opportunistic infection, not the underlying condition." You state and Jenna nods slowly, looking at Santana.

"Methylprednisolone to get the sjogren's under control, and some artificial tears." Noah lists and Mike nods, squeezing Jenna's shoulder reassuringly before getting up and leaving the room to retrieve the medication.

* * *

You park your car and stare ahead of you in thought. The case was over and it was an emotional rollercoaster for basically everyone but everything was back to normal.

You and Santana were back to how you were and when before Santana left the Hospital you saw her and Noah smiling and laughing. You were happy they seemed to have talked and gotten passed what happened.

But since she left you couldn't help but think about how she kissed you quickly in the hall. Sure it was a peck, but it was basically a sweet nothing kiss that she did just because. It kind of made you think that maybe she did feel something for you. Maybe that's why she got so upset when you declined the friends with benefits invitation, because that was her way of getting closer to you.

You chew lightly on her bottom lip and look at your purse on the passenger seat. You look back ahead of you and grab your bag as you get out of the car, walking to the apartment building as you fish out your phone and dial a number.

"_Hello_?"

"Hey."

"_Pierce_?" Santana asks in confusion and you smile faintly.

"You already called me Brittany, Santana, you can't go back now." She chuckles faintly on the other end of the call and you open the door, stepping inside the heated building and head up the stairs.

"_So why'd you call_?"

"I saw you talking with Noah." You tell her and she hums.

She lets out a sigh and you pull your gloves off, putting them in your purse, unbuttoning your coat, "_Yeah, we talked a bit. He dropped the whole drug thing. I don't know if he completely believes me but it's a start._"

"At least you know you kept your promise." You tell her, heading up the next flight of stairs.

"_Yeah_." She sighs again.

"Santana?"

"_Hmm_?"

"I know…I uh," you shake your head stopping when you reach the apartment and run a hand through your hair.

"_Brittany_?" You look at the door and lift your hand knocking three times as you hold your breath. "_Hold on a sec."_ she tells you on the phone before you hear her moving to answer the door and you end the call, putting your phone in your purse as Santana opens the door. "Wha-" she starts in confusion, looking at her phone before hanging up and shaking her head faintly. "What are you doing here?" she asks and you shift, glancing around behind her before looking at her.

"That invitation of yours," you say, watching Santana's brows lift and her nod, "Is it still on the table?"

Santana's lips part and her brows rise higher in shock. "Uh…" she looks over herself before looking over her shoulder and nodding, turning back to you. "Yeah." Her lips twitch upwards and you smile sheepishly. You shift and she jumps, "Oh, now?" she asks and you let out a chuckle, shrugging.

"Well I'm here so…"

"Oh, yeah, okay." She nods and you chuckle, stepping into her apartment while taking off your jacket. She closes the door behind you and when she turns around you pin her to the door, kissing her heatedly.

* * *

**A/N: Don't be mad! You must've known FWB was going to happen though. Who can stay away from Santana that long? You may not be fond of the whole Brittana FWB idea but I can assure you you'll be happy with the chapters it brings forth *wink wink*. So back to that diagnosis description idea. There were seven possible diagnoses on the table in this chapter, but I'm only going to do one because seven is a shit ton and would take a huge chunk of this authors note. **

**LAM (Lymphangioleiomyomatosis): **A progressive lung disease in which an abnormal growth of smooth muscle cells invade the lung tissue; including airways, blood and lymph vessels. They grown uncontrollably and over time the cells bundle in the walls of the airways and vessels, causing them to become obstructed. The breakdown of the cells cause the tissue to form cysts. The airflow is then blocked and limits the delivery of oxygen to the rest of the body (LAM Foundation).

**Sjogren's Syndrome: **A disorder of the immune system. The mucous membranes and moisture-secreting glands in eyes and mouth are affected first, decreasing the production of tears and saliva (Mayo Clinic).

**So if you want me to pick out one or two major diagnoses in chapters and tell you what they are then let me know. Doesn't matter either way, just thought some of you may want to know. Also, the 3 parts I liked most int his chapter: 1. Brittany trying to get Santana back on the case in the beginning of the chapter. 2. Brittany going boss on Puck and Santana's little peck. 3. Santana acting all surprised and cute when Brittany showed up at her apartment.**

**-B**


	26. Chapter 28

**A/N: Hey, loves! Thanks for all the feedback for last chapter. So about the whole diagnosis description, I guess I'll be doing that from now on; only one or two like last chapter.**

**I wanted to say, to one of you guys, you know who you are lol, um so I totally understand what you're saying. I really do, the points you gave made sense and everything but it's just all part of the story right. I mean everything is happening for a reason. Don't apologize for ranting or anything, anyone, because I do like hearing your feedback and what you all are thinking. I don't expect all the reviews to be just positive? That's not really the right word but I hope you know what I mean. If you guys have something on your mind or your a little disappointed with how things are going an you want to voice them, go for it. I'm all ears and I do try to write so everyone enjoys what they're reading :)**

**With all that said, I hope you enjoy. Mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

April, 2015:

You watch the TV screen as you lay on the couch with your right arm draped across your forehead, your right arm hanging off the couch as you pet Chess laying on the rug. It was Friday night and you were so relieved it was the weekend. You and the team had ben stressed with a case that wasn't that difficult but the patient and his family were completely intolerable. You groan just thinking about it and shake your head trying to focus on the TV.

You look up when you hear a knock at your door and jump up.

"Finally!" you breathe in relief, peaking into the kitchen to make sure the money is on the counter while you grab the door knob, opening it for the delivery boy. "So how much was it, twenty seven sixty?" you ask looking at the person and Santana smirks at you and pushes off the wall, stepping into the apartment as you smile. "What are you doing here?"

She puts the Chinese food on the counter in the kitchen before grabbing your hips and pulling you against her, pinning you between her and the counter before pulling you into a searing kiss. You cup the sides of her neck as you kiss her back and moan softly when she moves to kissing your neck, her fingers working on unbuttoning your oversized flannel top. "God, I've been wanting to do this all day." She breathes against your skin.

You bite your lip, watching her fingers finish unbuttoning the third button and barely register the flush of a toilet before your eyes widen and you swat Santana's hands away, hurrying to button your top.

"Brittany, I just undid that." Santana whispers against your neck, sliding her hands under your shirt to roam over your abs and you groan.

"Santana-"

"Brittany." She counters and you grab her face, making her look at you, "What?" she grins and you groan, kissing her quickly before pulling back and opening your mouth.

"Britt," both you and Santana tense, "what is that soap you use, my hands are so soft!" Kurt says happily as you push Santana away from you. She catches herself before crashing into the stove and you run your hand around your ponytail while wetting your lips as you look at Kurt innocently. He lifts his head from studying his hands and lifts his brows in surprise, "Santana. What are you doing here?"

"I uh-"

"I invited her to hang out with us in exchange for paying for the food." You say quickly and Kurt glances at Santana who smile and nods, motioning her hand towards the bag of food.

"Oh my god, I'm starving. Santana, welcome." He says and you let out a chuckle as Santana gives tight lipped smile, keeping her eyes on him as she grabs your arm and subtly pulls you to the door.

"What the hell is Hummel doing here?" she asks in annoyance and you lift your shoulders.

"We're hanging out. Sebastian went out with to a concert with his brother and Kurt was bored so he came over here." You explain.

"Yeah well sexual frustration beats out boredom any and every day." She whispers, "And god, Brittany, I am very frustrated." She adds, "Send him home."

"Santana!" you gasp and she slumps against the door, frowning. "I'm not kicking him out because you're horny."

"Britt, I can get you to the same place I am like that." She states blankly with a snap of her fingers and you blush, crossing your arms. "I'll do that thing you like." She offers and you blush further.

"Santana." You say and she huffs.

"Fine." She grumbles turning to leave.

"Where are you going?" you ask quickly, grabbing her arm.

She looks at you like it's obvious and shrugs, "Home?"

You slap her forehead and she pouts, swatting your hand away, "You can't leave now. We just told him you're here to hang out with us."

"You told him and that was a blatant lie."

"God, you're so difficult." You groan, running your hands down your face as Santana smirks. "It'll just look suspicious if you leave now."

"I'm sure you'll work something out, Britt." She nods, turning.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kurt asks, sticking his head out from the kitchen. Santana slowly looks back at him as you look down. "We're putting in Lucy." He says excitedly, stepping out with his food in his hands, looking at her curiously.

"Uh, I forgot my phone in the car. I'm just running down to grab it." She says and you smirk in amusement catching her subtly put her hands in her pockets. She glances at you and you lift your brows knowingly. "I'll be back." She mumbles before leaving and you look at Kurt.

He wiggles his brows and your smile fades, "I have an idea for Operation-" He begins and you groan, brushing past him to get your food.

* * *

You shift for the umpteenth time on the couch between Santana and Kurt, watching Scarlett Johansson kick some ass. It was a pretty decent movie, enough action with scientific aspects which added a twist.

Your coffee table was littered with empty Chinese take-out cartons, chop sticks, and wine with Chess sniffing the garbage. You click your tongue, shaking your head at him and he turns around three times before laying down and resting his head on the rug while you return your attention to the screen.

You glance at Santana when she shifts closer and cross your arms tighter under the comforter covering all three of you, resting your feet on the edge of the couch with your knees bent. You glance back at her when she shifts to get more comfortable, and your breath catches when she moves her hand from above the blanket, under and to your thigh closest to her.

You slowly look at her, shaking your head subtly and she just shrugs, dragging her nails lightly up and down your bare right thigh before stopping closer to your center and cupping your sex. You take a heavy breath to keep from making any other noise and Santana moves her hand higher and slips it under your shorts and panties, through your wet folds. You bite your lip and shake your head, glancing at her.

She keeps her eyes forwards but grins slyly, continuing to touch you.

"God, this movie is excruciatingly boring." Kurt mumbles from your left and you clear your throat and force out a chuckle.

"Yeah." You agree and he looks at you with a hand out.

"Right?"

"Shut up and watch the movie, Porcelain." Santana says and you wet your lips as Kurt leans forwards to see past you and scowls at the Latina with her hand between your legs. She looks at him and arches a brow with a bored look making him huff and fall back into the couch. You feel Kurt shift, throwing the comforter off him to go the bathroom as you yank Santana's hand away and stare after Kurt with an erratic heartbeat.

"What the hell was that?" you hiss, turning to look at Santana and she just throws a leg over your lap to straddle you as you stare up at her in shock.

"Relax, Pierce." She whispers, kissing your cheek and moving down your jaw until she's sucking on your neck and you let your eyes flutter closed before Santana moves from your lap, taking Kurt's spot and crossing her arms as she stares at the TV.

Kurt walks back into the room and stops, furrowing his brows as he looks between Santana and where she was once sitting. He shakes his head, not bothering, and sits to your right, pulling the comforter up to his chest.

* * *

You're halfway in Into the Woods when Santana shifts again. Within a minute she has her body facing you, her left hand down your shorts and panties, as she kisses your neck while you struggle to not make any sound to wake Kurt.

You bite back a moan and Santana sucks hard on your pulse point, circling your clit with pressure. You grab her wrist beneath the cover and turn your head towards her faintly, breathing through your parted lips as Santana pulls back, watching you as she works on building you up.

"Santana…" you whisper, squeezing her wrist and she bites her lip, nodding. "God!" you whimper quietly, squeezing your legs shut as you come. You bite your lip hard and let out a breath when your spasms cease, sighing contently as Santana takes her hand back, kissing you for a moment before pulling back when Kurt's phone rings on the table.

Santana sits back casually and you lick your lip, swallowing, and rest your head back against the couch as he stirs and opens his eyes, running a hand through his hair. He squints as he reaches for his phone and lifts it to his ear mumbling a 'hello?' after answering it.

You look at him when he mumbles an 'okay, I'll wait downstairs' before hanging up, and watch him sit up, stretching his arms over his head. He blinks as he looks at you and Santana and slumps his shoulders.

"I feel asleep?"

"Genius observation." Santana taunts and he rolls his eyes while getting to his feet. He begins to clean and you wave him off, shaking your head.

"I'll get it." You tell him and he nods. "Is Sebastian coming to get you?"

"Yeah, he's five minutes away."

"Alright." You nod, getting up to walk him to the door. "Santana, can you…" you wave to the litter on the coffee table and she sighs loudly, obliging nonetheless. "Thanks for coming, Kurt." You say, lifting your hand yawn into the back of your hand.

"Thanks for having me, Britt. See you Monday." He says and you nod, closing the door behind him after he leaves. You look over your shoulder as Santana goes into the kitchen putting the garbage away and go to let Chess out for his last pee, leaning against the door as you wait for him.

"So." Santana says slowly, walking over. You smile tiredly at her and she grins suggestively, hooking her fingers in your shorts before pulling you from the door and over to the couch. She sits down, pulling you to come with her and you straddle her lap while resting your hands on the back of the couch by her head.

"San…" you say quietly with heavy eyes, testing out the nickname, as she runs her hands up your sides under your shirt.

"Hmm?" she hums, leaning in to peck your lips. You lick your lips when she pulls away and bow your head when she leans in, resting your forehead against hers as you let your eyes close.

"I'm too tired." You admit quietly and Santana's hands still.

"You've got to be kidding me." She says and you smile apologetically as she groans and runs her hands down her face. "All day, Brittany." She whines.

"I know, and I'm sorry but if we start I'm going to pass out before we're naked." You tell her and she drops her head back against the couch. Chess starts barking and you get off Santana's lap, letting him in and look over at her.

She gets to her feet and runs a hand through her hair, glancing at you with a tight lipped smile, "Get some sleep, Britt. I'll see you later." She says going to grab her jacket from the stool at the island and you frown, walking over and grab her arms, wrapping your arms around her waist when she looks at you.

"Stay the night." You tell her and she frowns.

"Britt, do I need to call Mike to check your head because…your memory. I mean you _just_ said you're tired."

You roll your eyes and nod, putting her jacket back on the stool, "That doesn't mean you can't stay here tonight. As in sleep." You say and she purses her lip, fingering the fabric of her jacket.

"You'll be plenty rested in the morning?" she asks with a sly smirk and you chuckle, nodding as you pull your arms back, playing with the hem of her shirt. You wait for her to answer and she shrugs after a few moments, "You _do_ have some nice sheets." She says slowly and you laugh quietly, taking her hand as you lead her to bed.

* * *

**A/N: Oh Santana... Just to clarify if any of you are thinking it, Brittany agreed to FWB because she does want to be with Santana physically as Santana does her, but there is more to it. And I know you don't get to read from Santana's POV but ya'll already believe Santana has feelings for Brittany so just keep believing in that because you're probably not wrong ;) Give me a shout if you have any concerns or anything or if you just want to leave a comment. Here either way lmao.**

**-B**


	27. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hey! Most of you seem to actually be liking the fwb, or liking how it may make Santana realize her feelings for Britt, but awesome. I'm really glad. Alright, so here's this update: Chapter 29! Enjoy, loves, mwah! **

**P.S. Keep an eye out for a hint of cuteness. Just a tiny hint of it.**

**-B**

* * *

April, 2015:

"Can you make sure Mr. Dane doesn't forget to get his prescription? I'm in dire need of a coffee." You ask the clinic receptionist and he nods with a smile. "Thank you so much." You say sincerely and put the file in the wire box on the top of the counter.

You head towards the café, almost buzzing with excitement for the warm drink and stop mid step in the doorway when your pager goes off. You frown and look at it, widening your eyes before taking off towards the elevator.

You push the button to the fourth floor repeatedly and run out, your lab coat flowing behind you as you run to Quinn's office in panic.

"Quinn!" you burst in and almost trip over your feet when the door is pulled open before you can grab the knob.

Santana catches you and pulls her head back in surprise, arching a brow at you as you steady yourself, whipping your head around as you look around for the blonde.

"Where is she?" you ask Santana with wide eyes and she just looks at you in amusement while closing Quinn's office door.

"She's in surgery." She says walking over to the door that leads out to the balcony connecting the diagnosis office, closing the blinds.

"Surgery?!" you exclaim in horror, "Why aren't you doing anything?"

"No, Brittany, she's doing the surgery." Santana says, giving you a pointed look and your eyes widen further.

"On herself?! Is she crazy?!"

"God, no! Brittany, _calm down_." Santana laughs, grabbing your wrist and pulling you away from the door before your open it, pulling you into her. You shake your head, opening your mouth and Santana shamelessly runs her eyes over you. "She's performing surgery on a patient of hers." She explains and you furrow your brows, watching Santana as she starts to untuck your blouse from your jeans.

"You paged me saying '_Urgent. Quinn's office ASAP'_ with like five exclamations." You remind her and she nods with her bottom lip between her teeth. You stare at her for a moment before it clicks and you roll your eyes.

"There ya go." Santana smile slyly, starting to unbutton your shirt as you place your hands on her arms, glancing around as she does so.

"Okay, from now on can you not give me a heart attack when you want a quickie?" you ask with an amused smile and Santana pauses, pursing her lips before shrugging.

"We'll see. It depends on how much I want it." She husks and you hum with a smile, closing the distance between your lips. Santana holds your sides and holds you against her as you lead her in the kiss, and you bite her bottom lip playfully as you pull back, licking your lips.

"Seriously, my hearts still racing, just page me like…I don't know, DTF?" you suggest and Santana arches a brow with a laugh, pulling her head back to really look at you as you smile shyly and shrug.

"DTF? Down to fuck? How subtle." She teases and you laugh sarcastically before walking her backwards to the couch in the office. She sits down and you pull her into a kiss as you straddle her lap, arching into her as her hands slid your lab coat off your shoulders, your blouse quickly following. You hum as her hands slide up and down your sides and around to your back, fingers hooking into your belt loops to pull your hips closer.

You groan and press down against her, trailing your kisses down her jaw to her neck.

Santana tilts her head to the side and lets out a content sigh while her hands move to your ass.

You grin and move your lips to her ear, taking her earlobe between your teeth teasingly and pull a moan from her throat before she turns and captures your lips with hers. You rest your forehead against hers as you breathe each other's air, looking down as you remove her coat, your hands then moving to the buttons of her sleeveless blouse.

You glance into Santana's eyes as you work the buttons and she lifts her gaze, staring at you with dark lust-filled eyes; biting her bottom lip in anticipation. You moan and press your lips to hers hungrily, and Santana leans forwards. You get off her lap, letting her lie down before climbing back on top of her, kissing down her neck as you pull open her blouse, and continue to kiss and suck her chest before moving down to her stomach. You nip just below her naval and she squeaks, smiling up at you when you look up in amusement, and unbutton her dress pants.

You move back up to kiss her and slide your hand down her pants, teasing her entrance with two fingers.

"God, Brittany, do it." She breathes against your lips, her arms wrapped around you. You enter her and she lets go a long moan, lifting her hips to try and get your fingers deeper. You push further until you're knuckle deep and then pull back, thrusting them back in quickly.

Within seconds you and Santana find your rhythm and it doesn't take long until you have her walls clenching around your fingers, and her head tucking into the crook of your neck to muffle her moans.

You hold her as her breathing evens out before kissing her cheek.

She hums and turns to look up at you and you just smile, "Happy Birthday, by the way." You whisper and she groans with a smile.

"God, I'm getting so old." She chuckles and you laughs, shaking your head as you run your hand through her hair.

"You're only thirty-five." You tell her and she rolls her eyes.

"That's easy for you to say, you're thirty-two."

"Whatever. I promise you're still as great in bed as you were when you were thirty-four." You tease and she scoffs, focusing on her hand as she runs it over your side.

"A seven isn't great." She mumbles, referring to the whole Jenna calling her a seven and you agreeing, and you frown, not wanting to even think back to that.

"I was trying to bug you, San. And Jenna was obviously high when it happened." You tell her, throwing in the nickname and watching how her scowl fades and her eyes lift to yours. For some reason calling her that always softened her up. "You're a solid nine." You say with a shrug and Santana glares at you, making your laugh. "I'm kidding! You know I love your sweet lady loving. You're a ten in my eyes. An eleven even." You tell her reassuringly and she arches a brow at you. "What?" you ask quickly, and run over what you just said, your eyes widening.

"You _love_ my sweet lady loving?" she asks carefully and you stutter, shaking your head as you think of something to say.

"Uh…I um," you fail miserably and Santana pushes herself up a bit, watching you intently as you struggle. "Yes?" you say slowly and watch for her reaction. "I mean, like, you're pretty good so…"

She narrows her eyes before nodding and wetting her lip.

"It just came out wrong." You settle for with a defeated sigh and glance at Santana. She nods with a tight lipped smile before clearing her throat, running her hand over your arm, "I made this weird."

"A little bit." She nods, not denying it, and you groan, getting off of her and run a hand through your hair in frustration.

Two months. You managed two months without having a ridiculous slip and amazing sex and you go and ruin it in a fricken second. _Damn it, Brittany_, you scold yourself. You frown, looking down at your open blouse and start to button it when Santana says your name, getting on her knees.

"Relax, Pierce." She says and you huff, glancing at her, "I'd love my sweet lady loving too." She shrugs, glancing at you with a playful smirk and you let out a relieved breath.

"Fuck, Santana." You push her and she falls back against the arm of the couch, laughing quietly as you blush deeply. "You had me fucking terrified I made it awkward." You accuse and she brushes her hair from her face while throwing her arm on the back of the couch, smirking. "You're a bitch, you know that?"

"A bitch whose sweet lady loving you can't live without." She states and you groan, grabbing the cushion beside you and hit Santana with it.

She squeals and turns her head, trying to stop you from hitting her with the cushion and you grab her hand, pulling it away and smack her with the fluffy accessory.

"No more loving from me!" Santana threatens and you snort.

"Like you could even hold yourself to that."

Santana looks at you with a harmless glare and grabs the cushion to pull it from your hands and within a minute you somehow end up on the carpet with Santana on top of you, pinning your hands over your head with a smirk.

"Pretty strong for an old lady." You taunt and Santana just chuckles, leaning down while releasing your wrists and linking her fingers with yours over your head. You return her kiss feverishly and she brushes her thumbs over yours lightly before unlinking your fingers, cupping your cheeks as you run your hands over her back, slowing and softening the kiss. Your heart flutters as Santana leads the soft kiss, smiling at the difference from the others you've shared. Santana's lips turn upwards and she chuckles softly, pulling her head back a bit to just look at you as you do her. Her thumb brushes over your bottom lip as she cups your cheek and you lean into her touch, watching her smile widen.

"What the hell…"

"Fuck." You and Santana say quickly and Santana jumps off you, grabbing her clothing to quickly pull on as you remain on the floor, buttoning your shirt as quickly as possible before getting up and catching your coat Santana tosses at you. You pull it on as she fixes her hair before stepping towards you and making you look presentable while you look over your shirt. She steps back quickly and you both stare at the door with wide eyes when it opens and Quinn walks in with her lab coat draped over her arm.

* * *

Quinn stops short when she sees the two of you staring at her like deer caught in headlights and slowly drops her hand from the office doorknob.

"Hi! Can we help you with anything?" you ask, your voice higher than ever before and Quinn arches a brow.

"Yeah, why are in you in my office, looking like idiots?" she asks suspiciously.

"Santana thought she heard something in here and paged me to help her check it out." You lie lamely and she blinks, pulling her gaze from you to Santana.

"Was it another damn squirrel?" she asks and Santana relaxes beside you, nodding as she takes a few steps forwards.

"Yeah, those little shits keep getting in here somehow." She chuckles, glancing at you with wide eyes when Quinn turns to hang her coat up before moving to her chair behind her desk, "But don't worry, Britt and I got rid of it and we locked the door so he won't come back or bring any of his rabid friends."

Quinn hums, nodding and gives the both of you a thankful smile, "Thanks. I've had enough squirrels in my office."

"Yeah, of course. Don't mention it." She nods before clapping her hands and pointing over her shoulder towards the door, "I really got to go finish a few clinic hours. So…I'll see you two later." She says and you nod.

"Right! Yeah, I remembered I need to help Noah with…this…printer thing." You say quietly and head for the door behind Santana.

"Oh, Brittany, I think I just saw Noah go in with someone to replace it on my way here." She grins, with a tilt of her head, waving it off as you look to the side with furrowed brows, "Can I actually ask you something?" she asks, gesturing for you to take a seat.

You glance from the seat to Quinn and then to Santana. The Latina lifts her brows, giving you a look that blatantly wishes you good luck, before leaving, closing the door behind her.

"So…" you draw out, taking the seat in front of Quinn as she logs into her computer. "Those damn squirrels-"

"Enough with the squirrels." Quinn rolls her eyes, "I had the hospital cut down the god damn tree in front of the balcony to get rid of them and I haven't had one in here for three years; and the only reason there was one was because Santana thought it would be hilarious for me to find his shit pebbles all over my floor." She states as you just sit and listen. She wets her lips and leans back in her chair with an arched brow, her arms crossed. "You slept together."

"That's ridiculous, Quinn. There isn't a bed in here, how can you sleep without a bed?" you chuckle, shifting.

"My god, Britt. You had sex."

"Oh." You say before wincing, "Yeah."

Quinn's eyes widen faintly as she takes a breath and she wets her lips again, "I actually thought you were going to try denying it a little more." she admits and you shrug faintly, fiddling with your hands in your lap.

"I totally thought you were buying the squirrel story." You tell her and she gives you a look of amusement. "Can you like…not tell Kurt yet? Or Rachel and Mercedes? If they find out from anyone I'd prefer it was from me."

"We're having dinner at mine tomorrow." She states and you gawk before blinking and nodding.

"How'd you even know?"

"Well the most obvious give away is your shirt. Your buttons are completely screwed up." She points at your blouse and you look down, groaning and start to unbutton it, redoing it properly as you glance up at Quinn with an embarrassed blush. "Also Santana's lab coat was inside out." She states with a nod.

"Shit…" you breathe and she just shakes her head with a smile. "You may want to disinfect your couch."

* * *

**A/N: Okay so reread every chapter before I post or on days when I'm bored and I laugh like an idiot. God I hope you can all picture everything how I am because the way I imagine Britt saying "You may want to disinfect your couch." oh man ;D Uhh...oh yeah! Seeeee a little Santana cuteness! Next update is on Sunday. Until then, mwah!**

**-B**


	28. Chapter 30

**A/N: Hellooo :) How long has it been since I thanked you all for your reviews, follows, and favorites? I don't know but I'm going to thank you anyway! It means a lot to me being able to write something and have so many of you like it, it still boggles my mind a bit haha. With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Super fun to write and super cute in my opinion.**

**-B**

* * *

April, 2015:

"Oh my god!"

"No way!"

"Brittany!"

"Okay, whoa," you say loudly, holding your hands out in front of you, stopping Rachel, Kurt, and Mercedes from getting any closer, and look at Quinn. "I thought I was going to be the one to tell them?"

"You took too long." Quinn shrugs apologetically and you scowl.

"How did it happen?" Kurt asks with a wide smile, sitting back on the couch and patting the spot next to him for you to join him.

"And when." Mercedes added, scooting forwards to the edge of the couch beside Quinn, Rachel sitting on the other side of Kurt.

You roll your eyes at their love for gossip and gingerly sit beside Kurt, shrugging, "It just happened."

"Don't be so vague, Brittany. This is crucial information." Kurt states firmly and you pull away from him with an arched brow. "Now you can skip the explicit details but I want step by step how it happened. Quinn, get the board."

"Oh my god, Kurt, no." you say with wide eyes and look at Quinn, pointing at her, "_No_." She just chuckles, holding her hands up. You shift and glance at everyone before clearing your throat and placing your hands in your lap. "The first time-"

"My office wasn't your first time?!" Quinn exclaims and you blink, giving her a look. "My god, how many times have you done it, and why have you been keeping this from us? Hello, Operation Brain is a group activity."

"Oh my god, I hope not." You say, appalled.

"You know what she means." Kurt waves it off before tapping your thigh, "Come on. So how many times have you…done it?" he asks slowly and you wet your lips as you blush faintly, glancing up to think. "My god, do you just go at it like rabbits?" Kurt breathes after a few seconds of you counting and you roll your eyes.

"We enjoy each other's company." You tell him quietly with a pointed look before going back to counting. "Look, I don't even know. A lot."

"Ballpark."

"Thirty? Thirty-five?"

"_What_?!" everyone exclaims in disbelief causing you to jump in fright. You look around with wide eyes.

"Okay," Rachel says calmly, putting her hand on Kurt's shoulder to calm him down as he looks at her with his jaw dropped. "How long have you two been…?"

"The first time was after Kurt's dinner and she took me home." You admit slowly, looking at Quinn and Kurt, "When she said I tried to kiss her. We actually, well yeah."

"You've been sleeping together for _five_ _months_?" Quinn asks, staring at you. You shake your head and she lifts her shoulders, holding her hands out to the sides. "What-"

"It was only one time." You tell her and she frowns in confusion, "Okay it was three times but that was it until February. After brunch she came over, unexpectedly, and we slept together."

"So wait…" Mercedes says, waving her hand with her eyes closed. You look at her while she opens them, holding her chin in her hand as she looks at you, "So Santana just showed up and you went at it?"

"Basically." You mumble embarrassingly.

"Oh man." She sighs, shaking her head with an amused smile. "Sorry, continue."

You smile faintly and wet your lips as you lean forwards to grab your coffee, mumbling as you bring it to your lips for a sip. Quinn and Kurt lean forwards and you lift your brows.

"What'd you say?"

You mumble it again and Quinn shakes her head. You shift, glancing around before telling them, "She asked me to be friends with benefits." You say quietly and Quinn's jaw drops as Kurt's eyes bug out, Rachel almost choking on her coffee as Mercedes blows out of her mouth.

"She what?" Rachel coughs.

"You said no though right?" Quinn asks, "Because we all agreed she was mental for believing that ever works out for the better."

"I said no." you nod and Quinn relaxes. "But then I said yeah." You add quickly with a shrug, leaning back into the couch.

"Brittany!"

* * *

"_Hey_."

"Hey, so just a heads up Quinn and them know we've been sleeping together." You say quickly and hear a crash on the other end followed by cursing in the distance. "Santana?" you wince.

"Y_-yeah, hold on a sec_."

"Okay…" you trail off, furrowing your brows as you listen to Santana cursing out someone, whoever it is bitching back at her. You hear another crash and lift your brows before she clears her throat.

"_Hey, um, so when you say _them?"

"Kurt and Rachel."

"_Oh god those idiots can't keep their mouths shut_-"

"And Mercedes."

"_Mercedes_!" she shrieks, "_Brittany, what the hell_!"

"Sorry!" you apologize with a wince, turning around in the bathroom to lean back against the sink.

You had retreated to the bathroom after telling everyone what was going on when they bombarded you with questions and scolding's for agreeing to be Santana's fuck buddy. You felt like your head was going to explode and you just needed to tell Santana and hear her voice.

"When you left Quinn's office she told me she knew we had sex and that we were having dinner today to talk about it. They kept pushing me to tell them what was going on so I did." You rant quietly, glancing towards the bathroom door. You didn't know if one of them was outside the door trying to listen. Actually you wouldn't be surprised if all of them were, with their ears pressed against the door. "I told them we broke it off end of February and that's why we hadn't been speaking and you were being all bitchy. No offense."

"_No, no, that's…that's good_." She breathes and you wet your lips. "_How are you even on the phone right now after dropping that bomb? Aren't they throwing questions at you left, right, and center?_"

"Well yeah, they were but I locked myself in the bathroom." You admit with a blush and Santana chuckles.

"_Only you would resort to that_." She says and you smile, knowing she's rolling her eyes fondly at you. "_Why don't you actually leave_?"

"I came here with Kurt."

You here her hum on the other line and look around again before she clears her throat, "_Do you want me to come grab you?_"

You smile and chuckle fondly at her, "I never took you as the type to save a damsel in distress." You tease and she laughs sarcastically. You hear Quinn call your name and you tense, "That would be really great actually." You whisper.

"_Okay_," she laughs, "_You got ten minutes to come up with an excuse and meet me outside. And be sneaky, Britt_." She says and you hum in response.

"I will. Ten minutes."

"_I'll start the timer_." She jokes and you roll your eyes before you both hang up.

* * *

You carefully run down the walkway when Santana pulls up, glancing back over your shoulder as you slide to her car, yanking the door open.

"Drive!" you exclaim, eyes on the front door before you look at Santana with a wide smile.

"Jesus." She laughs with wide eyes, putting her car back in drive before checking her mirrors and speeding away from the bungalow. You look back over your shoulder seeing Rachel and Quinn stepping out of the house, looking around, and you let out a relieved breath as you slump in the passenger seat as Santana turns a corner off their street. "I feel like I'm going to be charged with accessory to a crime." Santana shivers behind the wheel, looking at you with a playful grin, "So how'd you escape?"

You run your hand through your hair as you look at her with a smile, "I told Rachel I saw some black mold behind the toilet and locked her in the bathroom after she demanded I showed her." You tell her and Santana glances from the road to you before bursting out laughing. You let out a soft giggle, your cheeks heating up as she shakes her head.

"God, I would've paid to see that."

"Yeah well." You shrug with a smile, reaching forwards to change the radio station.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Santana says, swatting your hand away. You pout and she keeps her eyes on the road, pointing at you warningly, "No touching my radio."

"Santana, I've touched it before. I've chosen every song we listen to whenever I'm in here. That _don't touch_ thing doesn't work with me." You say with a pointed look and she rolls her eyes, switching her hands on the wheel. She puts her right hand on the wheel, resting her left elbow on the driver door and runs her left hand through her hair before holding her head in her hand. You keep your eyes on her as you move your hand to the radio dial and she just glances at you before looking back at the road. You beam and change the channel, sitting back when you're satisfied.

You look in her back seat and lift your brows when you see the grocery bags, reaching to grab one. You pull it into your lap and look through the bag, smirking when you find a box of Dots. You lift it and arch a brow at Santana, shaking the box faintly as your heart flutters at the fact she got your favorite treat.

"Shut up and pass me a red one." She says and you beam, opening them to dig through for red and green. You drop one in her hand and plop the other in your mouth, humming happily.

"So where are we going?"

"Wha-I don't know." She says, looking between you and the road.

"You came up with the rescue." You point out and she huffs.

"Sure but I don't know." She mumbles, "Where do you want to go?" she asks, pulling to a red light.

You watch cars pass and purse your lips in thought, "I don't really know. Your place?" you suggest hesitantly, eyeing her carefully as she wets her lips.

She shrugs after a moment, turning her head to smirk at you, "Are you trying to subtly ask if I'm DTF?" she teases and you roll your eyes, laughing sarcastically when the light turns green. Santana changes lanes on route to her house, "Oye! Get off the road!" she shouts, honking her horn at a car that cuts her off and you lift your brows in amusement.

"Do you always think with your dick?" you ask with a laugh and Santana just grins faintly, coming to another stop light before turning her head and looking over you. You tense and blush as her eyes rack over your body, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth before she releases it. She lifts her gaze back to yours and grins teasingly.

"Depending on who I'm with."

You blush deeper and tuck your hair behind your ear as she chuckles proudly, turning a corner.

* * *

You step in after Santana and she closes the door behind you, hanging her jacket up before offering to do yours and you smile softly and hand it to her before walking to the kitchen island.

"Are you hungry?" she asks, placing the grocery bags on the counter and you drum your fingers on the counter, shaking your head. "Really?" she asks with a smirk and you roll your eyes fondly, walking over. You pin her between you and the counter and kiss her softly for a few seconds before pulling back and just looking at her. She licks her lips and smiles in amusement as you wrap your arms around her waist, squeezing lightly. "What's with you?"

"Nothing." You shrug, "you're just cuddly." You tell her and she drops her jaw.

"I'm all muscle." She says and you snort.

"Okay, San."

"I am!"

"Right. Whatever you believe." You nod and step back, moving to the couch. "Oh!" you look back before sitting down, Santana looking at you with narrowed eyes and her hands on her hips, "Do you want help putting stuff away?"

She drops her shoulder and shakes her head, waving for you to sit down. You plop down, grabbing the throw on the back of the couch and pull it around you before bringing your knees to your chest. You rest your chin on top and watch Santana put everything away.

She sighs and tucks the bags away before looking over at you and resting against the counter.

You smile and nod for her to come over. She rolls her eyes and does so, sitting on the arm of the couch while you chuckle.

"Come here." You say, patting the seat beside you and she narrows her eyes.

"Why?"

"I'm in the mood to cuddle."

"Britt, I don't cuddle." She states and you scoff.

"Santana, you most definitely do."

"Okay, I can't control myself while I'm sleeping."

"Whatever, I'm a cuddling person and you're _cuddly_." You smirk. Santana narrows her eyes and you frown faintly, "Please?" She glances away from you when you pout and you call her name quietly, pushing your bottom lip further out.

"God, you're impossible." She grumbles, moving to sit beside you. You beam and wait for her to get comfortable. She opens her arms barely with a huff and your stomach flips as you shift and lean into her, resting your head on her shoulder with your arm draped across her stomach. She holds her head up with one hand while the other drops to your wrist and her fingers lightly begin to brush over your forearm.

You hum and let your eyes closed as she continues to tickle your arm. She drops her hand from holding her head, shifting lower down the couch to rest her head against the arm of the couch, moving her arm around you. You smile bashfully and slip your hand under her shirt, caressing your thumb over her side as she sucks in a breath. You glance up at her, the hint of a content smile on her face with her eyes closed and lean up, pressing a kiss to her jaw.

She blinks her eyes open and turns her head faintly, looking at you as you look up at her, and leans down, kissing you slowly.

You let out a tiny moan and bring your hand up to cup her cheek, sucking on her bottom lip. You shift, pushing yourself up with your arm under you and throw a leg over Santana's stomach, deepening the kiss.

Santana's hands move to your hips and slowly run up your sides before moving back down and staying on your hips as you kiss. You kiss the corner of her mouth before her cheek and she lets out a breath.

"San…" you say softly, opening your eyes, and she hums, fluttering hers open to look up at you. "This-" you begin while she stares up at you softly with slightly glazed over eyes, and wet your lips when her phone goes off. You clench your jaw and she tilts her head back, glancing towards her phone on the kitchen island before looking at you.

You bring your leg back from over her and she gets up, going to the phone as you huff and watch her, your heart beating out of your chest at the moment that lasted not ten minutes.

"Hey, qué pasa?" she breathes, running her hand through her hair before dropping it to her hip, "Si…uh," she turns a bit, glancing over at you, "Uno momento." She says quietly before looking away and moving to her room. You hear her close the door, her voice becoming muffled, and groan in frustration, falling back down onto the couch.

You grab the TV remote and turn it on, switching the channel from golf with a fond eye roll directed towards the Latina, and land on some channel playing the second little mermaid movie. You smile widely and watch Melody give Morgana Triton's trident and click your tongue.

You're too invested in watching the movie to hear Santana come out of her room and only realize she's off of the phone when she drops down onto the couch beside you. You pull your gaze from the screen and glance at her, frowning when you see her staring at the far wall, chewing her bottom lip absentmindedly while turning her phone over in her lap.

You furrow your brows and grab the remote, muting the movie as you turn your body to face hers. Your hand moves hesitantly to her knee and you squeeze lightly, getting her attention.

She flinches and looks at you as you tilt your head, your eyes full of concern.

"Santana, what's wrong?"

She shakes her head and forces a tight lipped smile, "Just my brother. He says Tia was really sick and wanted to run a few things by me after they got back from the clinic. She's fine now. He was just really worried and kind of panicked." She tells you and hesitantly take her hand. She squeezes it and gives you a real smile, a thankful one, and you nod.

"You're worried." You state and she nods after a moment.

"She just means a lot to me you know? I always overdo it on the worrying when it comes to her or Juan." She admits with a shaky breath and you frown, pulling gently at her hand. She lets you pull her into you, and rests her head under your chin.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, San." You whisper reassuringly, "If she's anything like you then I'm sure she'll power through." You press a kiss to her head and she lets out a sigh, nodding.

"Yeah, you're right." She says quietly and the two of you stay like this until she falls asleep with your arms wrapped around her. You carefully, to insure you don't wake her up, shift on the couch, until she's laying her head on one of the throw pillows, and get to your feet slowly, covering her with the blanket.

You bend down and place a lingering kiss on her forehead before you tuck her hair behind her ear and smile faintly, sitting at the other end of the couch, placing your hand lightly on her shin when she stirs. She relaxes and nuzzles against the pillow, and you return your gaze to the TV, watching it in silence.

* * *

**A/N: D'aw! I would pick out my favorite part of this chapter but I kinda like the whole bit. If you want to tell me your favorite part of the chapter, or your favorite line, whichever you prefer. **

**Also, we're about three quarters of the way finished with this story. We should be done at the end of March with the three updates a week, Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. So yeah, just so you all know that. Hope you enjoyed that chapter, loves. Mwah!**

**-B**


	29. Chapter 31

**A/N: I have had like 3 latte's this morning to try and get rid of my exhaustion but that's just not working so no long ass authors note from me. All I will say is that there is more cuteness...*mumbles* and a bit of something else nearing the end... And with that I'll leave you too it. Mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

April, 2015:

"Ow!"

You pout and retract your hand after it gets slapped, holding it to your chest as Santana arches a brow at you, pointing a fry in your direction.

"Keep your grimy fingers away from my fries, Pierce." Santana says with narrowed eyes and you drop your jaw and look at your hand.

"My fingers are not grimy." You state and Santana snorts. You glare harmlessly and snatch the fry from her fingers before she can bite it and smile smugly as you take a large chomp out of it.

"Oh, you'd gone done it now." She says before taking half of your sandwich.

"Santana! That's a whole half!" you exclaim, grabbing her wrist as she tries to take a bite. She grunts as you pull, keeping her from biting it, and you try prying the sandwich from her with your other hand.

"You took my fry."

"A _single_ fry. Not half of your fries." You grumble, fighting with her for possession of the sandwich. You move closer and let go of her wrist, making her hand fly forwards and push the sandwich into her face. You hold a hand over your mouth as you burst out laughing, Santana frowning as she puts the sandwich down to grab a napkin.

"Bitch." She mumbles and you snort.

"That was all your doing." You tell her and she huffs, wiping her face before looking at the sandwich and glancing at you. You roll your eyes and she smirks victoriously, taking a bite of it. You shake your head and Santana lifts her plate, pushing half her fries onto your plate before taking another bite of the sandwich as you smile, eating a fry.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" Kurt asks.

You and Santana freeze from eating and lift your brows at Kurt's sudden outburst before glancing at each other. You smile as you tilt your head and Santana chuckles before biting the sandwich.

"Seriously, Kurt's right." Quinn says looking between the two of you.

"What?" Santana asks in annoyance and you click your tongue, giving her a pointed look when she looks at you. "What?" she asks again, lifting her shoulders.

"You're being a freak." You tell her and she looks at you in disbelief, turning more in her seat.

"_I'm_ being a freak?"

"Yes."

"Look, if anyone here is a freak it's you. That thing that you always want me-"

"Santana!" you exclaim in horror, giving her a look and she pauses, realizing she almost revealed something about your sex life in front of Quinn and Kurt who still believe you're no longer friends with benefits. She glances over at Quinn and Kurt watching with furrowed brows and clears her throat, returning to her sandwich.

"Okay, have I been sucked into some alternate universe?" Kurt asks Quinn in a whisper and she keeps her eyes on you and Santana as she shakes her head, turning it towards him faintly.

"No, but something is definitely going on."

"We can hear you." Santana states blatantly as you arch a brow at them both.

"You were supposed to. Now I can ask again what's going on." Quinn says and you shift.

"Nothing, we're just-"

"Acting like a total couple." Kurt says and Santana basically chokes on the fry she had just put in her mouth. She coughs and you blink, shaking your head before turning to her, rubbing her back gently. She coughs and swallows roughly, reaching for her water as you look at Kurt with a pout.

"She almost died." You tell him and Quinn rolls her eyes as Kurt clicks his tongue. Quinn crosses her arms, leaning back in the booth and looks at you expectantly. "What?"

"Is there something going on between you two?"

"No."

"Yes." You say as Santana denies it and both Quinn and Kurt look at you in disbelief with growing smiles as Santana snaps her head in your direction, looking at you like you've gone crazy. "We're totally a couple." You tell the two and Santana's jaw drops while you give her a wide smile. "Oh, let me get that for you, hon." You coo and grab a napkin, wiping the corner of Santana's mouth, you pinch her cheek when realization hits her and she nods. "She's just too cute." You tell Quinn and Kurt who watch you two, "Isn't she too cute?"

"Me?" Santana says, shaking her head as she takes your chin between her fingers, leaning forwards, "You're the cute one." She coos, continuing your over the top performance, and you scrunch your nose as Santana does the same, giving you an eskimo kiss. You smile at each other like love sick teenagers before sighing in sync and looking at Quinn and Kurt.

They shake their heads at you and you just smile and shrug as Santana snickers.

* * *

You sit in the diagnostic office with the team around the table. Mike is sitting beside you and Santana across from you with Noah standing at her side, resting his hands on the table as you each look through files from the stack in the middle of the table.

"Thirty-seven year old female suffering from swelling, aching joints, and skin rash." Mike reads off the file in his hands and you look from your file, furrowing your brows before tilting your head and looking at him.

"Is the swelling of her joints and ankles?" you ask and Mike flips through some more pages before nodding. "It's lupus." You state and Mike lifts his brows, nodding as he thinks over it before glancing at Santana and Noah who just keep their eyes on their own files and nod in agreement.

"Okay." Mike says and writes the diagnosis in the file before tossing it in the finished pile.

"Okay, I'm thinking amyloidosis for this chick." Santana says, holding her hand out as she reads the symptoms off to the group, "Pain in her wrist, tingling in her feet, shortness of breath," she lists off, lifting a finger for each symptom, "And she's lost ten pounds in the last two weeks." She states and glances up when she's done. "Oh, and as of this morning, the reason she came in, her tongue is enlarged."

"Definitely amyloidosis." Mike nods firmly and you nod in agreement before Santana is dropping the file into the done pile.

You and the team carry on diagnosing cases and having light hearted chats along the way, keeping an eye out for any cases that actually had reason to be dropped off in the office.

"Agammaglobulinemia." Santana huffs, sliding the file to you. "Seriously, the doctor's in this place are just lazy as fuck. These cases are the most straight forward when it comes to diagnosis." She says in annoyance as you finish reading over the patient file, agreeing with Santana's diagnosis, and slide it over to Mike for him to take a look.

"Yeah, Noah," you say through a yawn while stretching your arms over your head. "Why did you even accept these files?" you ask, opening your eyes as you let your arms drop back down.

He runs his hand over his freshly buzzed head and shakes his head, shrugging, "Apparently Schuester passed them on to us because the other departments have been extremely busy."

"That's such bullshit." Santana states with narrowed eyes and Noah nods while you smile faintly in amusement at her behavior.

"Because you have so many other things to do." Mike teases and Santana slowly looks at him.

"Don't make me reach over this table, Chang. I will feed _your_ egg roll to the dogs." She threatens lightly and you let out a laugh as Mike's smile falters. He looks at you with slightly wide eyes and you shrug, glancing at Santana who just grins proudly at herself and leans back in her chair.

* * *

"Britt!"

You look over your shoulder as you step into the elevator and smile at Santana, holding it for her. She jogs over and steps in, letting out a breath as you push the lobby button and watch the doors close.

"What's up?" you ask and Santana rubs her forehead, shrugging.

"Come over." She says and you begin to smile, "This day has been excruciatingly boring and I think we both need to spice it up." She says with a smirk and your smile begins to falter before you shake your head and nod in agreement.

"Yeah, it's been…something, alright." You chuckle and Santana grins before you both look at the elevator doors when they open and step out.

"Here." Santana says, pulling her keys from her pocket before pulling one from the bundle, handing it to you. You furrow your brows and she nods, motioning for you to walk with her, "It's a key to my place. I just have to run to the bank and drop off some papers and I'll be back. You can head there now if you want." She says as you turn the key over with your fingers, holding back from beaming.

Santana gave you a key to her loft! That must mean something!

You look up from the key and nod and she smiles, opening the front door and nodding for you to go first before following, "Great."

* * *

You pace her living room floor, hand tangled in your hair as you try go back and forth between telling Santana you like her and keeping your mouth shut. So far you were leaning towards telling her.

_You're going to tell her and she won't feel the same way. You'll just ruin what you have going on. _

You groan in frustration at the devil on your shoulder and bite your bottom lip as you think of the angel.

_She gave you a key to her place. And the past week you two have been acting like an actual couple!_

_Besides the hand holding, and all other forms of PDA in public. Santana made it perfectly clear what her intentions were before you agreed to this. _

"God," you whimper helplessly as you stop pacing. _Don't tell her_, you hear in the back of your head and look to the door when it opens.

Santana steps inside and looks up, smiling at you as she closes the door.

You swallow and give her a shaky smile to which she arches an amused brow and chuckles while hanging up her coat.

"What's going on?" she asks, walking over.

You take a long breath as she comes to stop in front of you and let it out as you look between her eyes. They flicker between your own and soften when you shift.

"Britt?" she asks gently and your shoulders deflate as you lift your gaze from the floor to her eyes once again. Her head's tilted to the side and she looks over your face with concern. God, and you just want to kiss her. So you do.

She tenses as you kiss her softly, holding her cheeks in your hands, before slowly relaxing, bringing her hands to rest on your hips. You pull back an inch and let out a breath against her lips before licking your own and swallowing.

You have to tell her.

"Santana, I-" you start only to be cut off by her lips on yours once again and return the gesture as her hands move to your back, pulling you closer. You smile into the kiss as does Santana and she moves her hands to the front of your jeans, fiddling with your buckle. You frown and shake your head, pulling back a bit. "W-wait, San…" you breathe.

"What's wrong?" she asks, lifting her gaze.

You open your mouth and try to tell her but no words come out so you're left looking like a modern day, less exclamatory version of The Scream painting.

"Brittany," she chuckles, pulling you closer.

"N-no, hold on." You say quickly and she steps back in confusion. "I um…I want to, no, I need to tell you something."

Santana eyes you carefully before nodding and heading to the kitchen, "Okay, is this quick or will we need coffee? Maybe liquor?" she jokes, looking over her shoulder with a wink as she grabs mugs. _Oh it'd definitely be the latter_, you think.

"I don't know." You say quietly, moving to the other side of the island counter so it's between you two. You take a breath as Santana grabs some mugs, waiting patiently for you to speak, and you gulp. You feel like you're going to throw up and mumble an, "Oh god…" quietly.

"Brittany, you're kind of freaking me out here, so…"

"I like you." You blurt out, watching for her reaction with wide eyes.

Santana fumbles with the two mugs in her hands and drops them an inch over the counter, both of you wincing at the clang of glass against granite. They don't break luckily but your heart sure does when you see Santana run a hand through her hair, her brows furrowed.

"S-sorry, what?" she asks in confusion, glancing at you as you desperately wish you could take it back.

You shift and look at your hands on the counter as you tell her once again.

"I uh, I have feelings for you." You admit softly, lifting your head.

Santana nods slowly and moves to the corner cupboard, opening it. She pulls out a bottle of scotch and you frown watching her unscrew the lid and pour herself a healthy amount after swapping the two mugs for a glass. She drinks it all in one shot and after ten minutes of silence you shift uncomfortably.

"Santana, can you like…say something, please?" you ask and she lets out a shaky breath before finally glancing at you.

"Like what exactly?"

"I don't know."

"Excellent." She mumbles quietly, moving past you to the couch where she sits and lets out a sigh.

"So, I'm guessing I shouldn't have told you." You state, crossing your arms protectively over your chest as you walk over to the couch.

"Yeah. Or, I mean, no." she groans, putting her glass on the table before facing you, "When did you…?"

"I don't know, like my third week here I guess."

"Jesus Christ, Brittany!" Santana exclaims in disbelief, "God." She rubs her forehead hard before grabbing her glass, taking a long drink. "I told you no feelings. One of the main reasons I thought of this was because we wouldn't fall for each other. And so you go and agree to it even when you know you like me?" she asks, shaking her head. "That's deliberately setting yourself up to get hurt."

You furrow your brows and shake your head, "So you're basically telling me you don't have any feelings for me?"

"I…My feelings for you are strictly platonic." She states and you roll your eyes.

"Oh come on, Santana."

"Come on what?" she asks with narrowed eyes.

"You're telling me that you don't like me as anything more than a friend?"

"That's what I'm telling you, although I was trying to make it not sound as harsh." She says and you huff.

"You can't sugar coat rejection. And besides, I don't entirely believe you."

"You're joking, right?"

"No. We practically act like a couple whenever we're together. I'm pretty positive friends with benefits don't just cuddle for the sake of cuddling. Or kiss for no reason."

"That's actually exactly-"

"You know what I mean." You cut her off firmly. She sighs and takes another drink as you shake your head, glancing to the side, "Friends with benefits don't come and save the other from other friends asking too many questions. Or buy the others favorite candy just for them. Or let the other hold them until they fall asleep."

"Brittany-"

"But we do all those things, Santana." You tell her, your voice raising, "We have inside jokes, and special moments. We talk about our families together and on occasion cook for each other-"

"Brittany, we do that because we're _friends_." She tells you and you wet your lip, looking down as your lip begins to tremble. "We're really close friends who sleep together. _Slept_ together. Everything you listed is exactly what friends with benefits do." She says softly and you look at her with tears forming in your eyes, shaking your head. She lets out a breath through her parted lips when your first tear falls and you wipe it away quickly, swallowing. "Britt…" she says carefully, getting up and you step back, shaking your head at her as you hold your hand out to stop her.

"Please don't." you get out and she stops. You look at her for another few seconds before turning and grabbing your things before leaving; tears falling freely as you retreat to your car.

* * *

**A/N: I'M SORRY! Not really but kinda. I think you'll be surprised next chapter concerning their relationship so just hold on until Friday! Love ya'll, mwah!**

**Agammaglobulinema- **A disorder in which a person has very low levels of immunoglobulins, which are a type of antibodies. It's caused by a gene defect that blocks the growth of normal, mature immune cells called B lymphocytes. As result the body makes very little immunoglobulins which play a huge role in "immune response"; protecting against illness and infection(Medline Plus)**.**

**^^^ You're bit of education for the day, I guess Lol. **

**-B**


	30. Chapter 32

**A/N: Oh. My. God! First off! Brittana's fucking wedding! So many fucking feels it's unreal. And that pre-wedding kiss, holy shit, hot as hell. It was jsut an amazing day all around. And I can see it's fricken 12:10am, Saturday which brings me to my secondly. This god damn site would not let me update a new chapter. Like in the Doc Manager. I tried uploading around noon and basically every second hour afterwards and NOTHING! Ugh, I felt so bad. But hopefully, this will work and there will be an update notification for ya'll.**

**-B**

* * *

May, 2015:

"Dr. Pierce."

You look up and to the side, holding a purple marker in your hand as a nurse you can't remember the name of walks over to the ER bed, smiling kindly at the five year old girl sitting on it facing you, coloring the cast on her arm.

"Nurse…" you draw out and the young woman smiles and shakes her head.

"Kenston."

"I would've never thought of that." You admit and she nods good-naturedly. The little girl on the bed, pokes your knee with the toe of her shoe and you gasp, looking at her with narrowed eyes making her giggle. You smile and take your turn with the tic tac toe game she had started on her cast, putting an 'O' in the middle of the grid before looking back at the nurse. "Do you need something?" you ask and she blinks, pulling her gaze from watching you and the girl before shaking her head.

"I can see you're busy." She says and waves at the little girl who smiles shyly and ducks her head. Nurse Kenston chuckles and places her hand on your shoulder in goodbye before leaving to find another doctor.

"It's your turn." The girl says excitedly and you nod, looking at the grid, two X's in the top right corner and bottom left corner. You purse your lips, knowing exactly what her plan is and let her have it anyway, putting another 'O' in the bottom right corner. The little girl giggles and puts and X in the top left corner and you let out a dramatic gasp, pouting at her.

"You're super sneaky." You tell her and she giggles again, waiting for you to make your move before finishing her line of three and beaming.

"You're silly." She tells you and you chuckle, drawing a smiley face on her cast.

"_You're_ silly."

"You can't copy me!" she shakes her head with her beaming smile, one of her top teeth missing.

"I totally can." You nod and she shifts closer to the edge of the bed to get closer. You smile sweetly at her and she looks at the cast, setting her mind on drawing a cat. You watch her litter her cast with childish drawings, adding a rainbow and bunny yourself before sitting back and waiting for her parents to arrive from their work.

You turn your head when you hear a woman ask for her little girl and stand up, holding your hand up when the woman and her husband look your way. They rush over and the little girl lifts her head, beaming.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she shrieks happily and the couple moves to her, hugging her carefully before checking over her tearfully.

"What happened?" The father asks, lifting his head to look at you.

"Apparently Julia left the playground to retrieve a ball that rolled off the property and a cyclist knocked her down." You tell them, one of the nurses informing you when you came down to offer a hand during your spare time. Julia's parents gasp and look to their daughter. "She has a few scrapes and bruises on her elbows and hands from landing but her arm is broken as well. A clean break, it should heal easily." You inform them and smile when relief washes over their face.

"Julia, what have we told you about leaving the playground?" her mother asks sternly and Julia's lips begins to tremble.

"Not to." She mumbles sadly, looking at you with watery eyes before blinking and looking at her cast.

"Sorry, who are you?" the father asks, shaking his head as he holds his hand out.

"Dr. Pierce. I'm part of the diagnostic team. The schools vice principle brought her in but I haven't seen him. The nurses mentioned something about him having to hurry back after they called you so I've been here to keep her company."

"Well thank you so much." The mother breathes, holding her hand out to you after you let go of her husbands. You nod.

"Not a problem. Julia is a wonderful girl. A genius at tic-tac-toe." You wink at her and she smiles before moving on to showing her parents the drawings you and her did on the cast. You stand by, smiling when she explains what some of them are and the parent's chuckle, exchanging amused glances with you when your pager goes off. "Excuse me, I'm being called back up." You tell them and they nod in understanding, thanking you again before Julia pouts. "You be careful and get better okay?" you say gently, smiling at her and she nods her head, "And no more leaving the yard. Listen to your parents." You tell her with a chuckle and she nods again. "Alright." You say your goodbyes before heading for the elevator, hitting the button for the fourth floor.

* * *

You walk out of the elevator and look towards the floors desk, smiling when the receptionist looks at you, waving you over.

"You paged me?" you ask, slowing to a stop at the desk and the woman nods, pulling the phone from her ear.

"Your mother's on line three."

You furrow your brows and she quickly says something into the phone before pushing a button and handing you the handset of the phone. You lift it to your ear and lean against the counter.

"Mom?"

"_Oh, Brittany, finally_." She breathes and you smile faintly.

"Why didn't you call me on my cell and leave a message. You don't have to call the hospital to get ahold of me." You say in amusement and she laughs on the other end of the call.

"_I know, sweetie, but this way, unless you're in surgery, then I'll get you. So I was thinking of coming over there at the end of the month_." She says excitedly and you chuckle.

"That'd be great, mom. It's really nice when it's not snowing." You tell her, glancing to the side. You pause when you see Santana walking down the hall, looking through a file, with Rachel at her side, pointing at something in the file. Santana nods, pointing at something else and Rachel purses her lips.

It had been a week and a bit since Santana and you had stopped the whole friends with benefits thing. The good thing was that Santana hadn't stopped talking to you but you didn't know how to really be around her at the moment. Santana had kind of made a point of talking to you like usual, while trying not to get too close. It was…you don't know. You didn't want to stay away from her but at the same time you didn't want to be all awkward around her.

"_Oh, and your cousin Taylor wanted me to tell you she's pregnant_!" she says happily and you lift your brows, looking away from Santana to look at the counter of the reception desk.

"Really? That's exciting." You say and she goes on to rant about how excited the family is and that Gerrard took her to a store to look at rings when you glance back at Santana. She smiles at whatever Rachel says and looks up, making eye contact with you. She smiles in greeting and her and Rachel stop at the desk beside you.

Rachel opens her mouth to say hi before closing it seeing the phone and mouths that she'll see you later before Santana hands her whatever file it was she was holding, letting the smaller brunette leave.

"_Hold on a moment, darling, someone's at the door_." Susan says and you hum in response before looking at Santana.

"What was Rachel talking about?" you ask and Santana groans, crossing her arms as she rests her hip against the desk.

"Some case of Quinn's. She asked Rachel if she could run a diagnosis by me." She says and you nod. You look away from her and shift and Santana sighs, "Brittany, we're still friends." She says and you nod.

"I know, it's just awkward now."

"Only if we make it awkward." She says, and you give her a look.

"Easy for you to say."

She smiles faintly and rolls her eyes good-naturedly before doing a double take and looking over your shoulder. You turn and follow her gaze to a decently good looking man with blonde hair wearing a patient gown, walking down the hall slowly with little droplets of blood dripping down from where he must've ripped out his IV.

You look over him as he stops and looks around, spotting the elevators, and look at Santana who is already moving to go to him.

"_I'm back_." You hear your mother say and look away from Santana as she puts her hand out on the man's shoulder, talking to him gently. "_It was Taylor and your aunt Lucile. Gerrard proposed last night and, Brittany, you should see the size of the ring._" She gushes as you nod, glancing back over to Santana and the man. You furrow your brows as you watch him shake his head at whatever Santana's saying, trying to push past her.

Santana grabs his arm, shaking her head while looking at him sternly and he pulls to get away from her. You barely listen to what your mother is saying on the phone and see the patient put his hand in his gown pocket before slowly pulling it out. Your eyes widen and you drop the phone onto the desk, hurrying over as Santana puts her hands out to touch the man's shoulder while he wraps his hand around a scalpel.

"Santana, watch out!" you call and Santana glances at you before seeing the scalpel and grabbing he man's wrist when he lifts the scalpel up. You grab his arm, lifting it up to keep him from trying to stab Santana and he looks at you with wide stormy eyes, holding a deranged look. He pushes Santana forcefully into the wall and she gasps loudly in pain while you push him back with your weight, forcing him against the wall away from her.

You and the man grunt as you grapple, each trying to control the situation.

You let go of his wrist with one hand, trying to restrain his other flailing arm as he continues to growl and fight against you.

"Calm down!" you hiss to him, stumbling back when he pushes his weight against you.

"Code Grey!" Santana shouts as you run at him again, spearing him back against the wall. He lets out a pained shout and you push your forearm against his throat while grabbing his wrist again with both hands, trying to pry the scalpel from his grip. He gasps and growls at you, using his other hand to push against your face. You turn your head, moving your arm from his throat and he lets out an enraged scream, shoving you to the ground.

You grunt and widen your eyes when he jumps on you, trying to stab you and you hold his arm, pushing it away from you as he presses down with his strength.

You hear hurried footsteps around you and glance to the side to see Mike running over with Sam and grit your teeth, trying to get a good hold on the man to throw him off you.

"Get Haloperidol!" Mike shouts at Sam and as he slides over, grabbing the back of the patients gown, pulling him up. He grabs your coat, pulling you with him and you get to your feet not so gracefully, trying to pull back from him as Mike tries to restrain his arms.

"Got it!" Sam yells and runs over as you and Mike hold the man steady, restricting his movements. Sam pushes the drug into his thigh and he lets out yells of pain while his thrashing decreases. Sam grabs him as you stumble back, trying to catch your breath, and run a hand through your hair as you watch the man slump in Sam and Mike's arms.

You watch them lie him carefully on the ground as he closes his eyes and lean back tiredly against one of the walls of a patient room. You swallow and wet your lips before you hear Santana.

"Oh my god, Brittany…" she breathes and you look at her, following her gaze down to your torso where the scalpel was lodged diagonally under your left breast. You lift your shaky hands as everything goes quiet and grab the scalpel, your vision getting hazy, and pull it out.

"No!" Mike shouts and you look up as the scalpel falls to the floor, locking eyes with Santana as she lifts her eyes from the scalpel to you, running towards you. But she moves so slow. You look at Mike, stepping over the patient as Sam looks up with worry, moving slowly to your side. He's so slow. Everything is slow as you look back at Santana, closer than before. You slowly blink, and your legs weaken causing you to collapse to the ground.

_Prep the O.R. Get a gurney_, you hear Mike's muffled voice as you blink weakly, your cheek pressed against the floor as you stare down the hall, hearing alarms go off above you. _Start an IV._

You're pulled onto your back and you flutter your eyes open, looking up at Santana's fuzzy face as she rips your shirt open, moving your bra higher.

_God, Brittany_…you blink slowly up at her as her hands move shakily over your injury, and she looks at you shaking her head, _Stay with me, Britt_.

You blink again, your eyes fluttering closed and Santana shakes her head furiously.

_Brittany, stay with me._

* * *

**A/N: One of you guys semi hit it on the nose with your chapter 31 review but not quite haha. This is a hell of a cliff hanger ain't it? Yeah, I know, BUT despite me having to update on Saturday rather than Friday, I'm not going to push back your next update, I'll still be updating on Sunday...tomorrow, so yeah. Back to back updates, yay! Let me know what's going through those crazy minds of yours, loves. Mwah!**

**-B**


	31. Chapter 33

**A/N: LMAO wow! The feedback for last chapter was just...wow! I'm actually really glad that it came as a surprise. But there isn't much I can say right now without giving anything away so just go on an read! Enjoy :)**

**OMG just remembered! To that guest that commented "Will Britt get a Procedure of the Heart?" I didn't even think of that and that was amazing. Had me blown away that I didn't even connect the dots there. ;)**

**-B**

* * *

May, 2015:  
Santana POV

You watch as Mike and Sam slowly lower the patient to the ground as he slips into unconsciousness and swallow, running a hand through your hair.

_Jesus Christ_, you think, shaking your head before looking towards Brittany. You lock eyes with her before glancing down and feeling your heart plummet into your stomach, feeling instantly nauseous when you see the scalpel meant for you sticking out from under Brittany's left breast.

"Oh my god, Brittany…" you breathe in disbelief and worry, lifting your eyes back to hers after she notices what you were looking at.

You feel paralyzed. You can't move, watching in absolute horror as Brittany lifts her shaky hands and grasps the scalpel.

"No!" you hear Mike shout and your heart clenches as you watch the scalpel fall to the ground before Brittany sways.

You push through your momentary paralysis and run towards Brittany, feeling like you can't get to her fast enough, watching helplessly as she collapses to the ground. You drop to your knees beside her, brushing her hair from her face.

"Prep the O.R! Get a gurney!" Mike shouts as he falls on Brittany's other side, "Start an IV."

You swallow, your movement shaky as you carefully turn Brittany onto her back. You bite your trembling bottom lip as you hover your hands over her, not knowing what to do, and glance at Mike who's watching you. You shake your head and look back down at Brittany, blinking tiredly, and grab her shirt, ripping it open.

You grab her bra, lifting it from the wound, making sure it still covers her enough, before clenching your jaw and hold back the bile trying to push its way up your throat at the amount of blood covering her torso as you use your left hand to push your finger into her wound, searching for a slit from the scalpel.

You glance at Brittany's closing eyes and shake your head, using your other hand to brush her bangs from her forehead, "God, Brittany. Stay with me, Britt." You tell her and she flutters her eyes open weakly, giving you a weak smile. "Brittany, stay with me." You tell her, your voice cracking. You watch her eyes fall shut and blink away the tears, shaking your head to get into focus as you look back at the task on hand.

"C'mon, the bleeder's got to be in here." You say to Mike, moving your fingers around quickly but carefully as blood squirts from the opening, covering your white lab coat and shirt. You wince, searching for the cut and feel something, moving back to it and pressing your finger down further.

"Which artery?" Mike asks and your heart stops as you slowly look at him. He looks between your eyes and you blink repeatedly, shaking your head.

"It's her heart." You breathe and he does a double take from Brittany, and you catch the flash of fear in his eyes.

* * *

"Santana you have to back up, we need to get her on the gurney." Mike says and you shake your head.

"I can't." you tell him and he sighs heavily, getting up when Sam and Mercedes come over with the gurney.

"Santana-"

"Mike, I can't!" you state loudly, looking at him, "If I move then…" you trail off, shaking your head as you look back down at the paling blonde.

"We need to get her to the O.R., Santana." He says and you close your eyes, pulling your bottom lip into your mouth as you silently deliver a quick prayer. You nod in agreement and open your eyes, looking at Brittany as you shift to give Mike and Sam room to lift Brittany from the ground. You move with them, keeping your finger plugging the slit and Mike pats the gurney.

You carefully, with help from Mercedes, get on top, straddling Brittany's waist.

Mercedes, Sam, and Mike hurry and roll you and Brittany towards the E.R., as you look over her face, trying to ignore the tightening of your chest, and widen your eyes.

"I'm getting some ectopy." You tell them and move through a set of doors.

"Coming through!" Mercedes bellows at people in your way.

"Got a carotid pulse." Sam says as he checks the monitor attached to the gurney.

"Regular?" you ask and Sam shakes his head, glancing at you.

"No."

"I've got a PVC." You say quickly as you continue to move down the halls.

"You've got to move it people!" Mercedes shouts as nurses move quickly out of the way; squeezing the artificial lung. You wet your lips, staring down at Brittany. "She'll be okay, Santana." Mercedes says and you just nod faintly, never taking your eyes off her.

* * *

"How bad is it?" Noah asks, entering the operation room, holding his hands out. Mercedes quickly helps him get on the O.R. scrubs and mask.

"It's bad." Mike says, glancing at you as you look at him. "Patch." Mike says, holding his hand out for the tool. You watch him take the tool, holding a small square patch between the tip and look at the monitor. You look back at Mike when he lets out a breath and clench your jaw, looking at his eyes as he stares at Brittany's heart, your finger still plugging the whole as Sam holds the clamps keeping her open. "Ready?" Mike asks glancing at you and you look at Noah as he takes place beside the monitor, keeping watch of Brittany's stats.

"I can't take my finger out." You tell him from behind your mask and Mike furrows his brows. "She'll bleed. I don't think she's ready."

"Oxygenations at a hundred percent." Noah states and you swallow roughly as Mike shakes his head. "She's as ready as she'll ever be."

"Santana, we have to go for it."

"Look, you shouldn't even be doing this surgery, I'm the cardiologist." You say in annoyance and frustration.

"Santana, focus." Noah tells you and you shake your head, hanging it for a moment before glancing up at looking at your finger plugging the hole.

"I can't."

"Santana, if you don't let me do this-"

"Just shut up." You tell him quickly, taking a second to breathe, "I swear to god, Mike, if you screw this up…" you send him a firm, warning look and he just stares at you, nodding. "On my count." You say and everyone waits. "One…two," Mercedes moves the tube that sucks the blood closer to her heart and you wet your lips, "Three." You say before carefully removing your finger. Mercedes moves the tube into the slit and Mike moves the tiny square closer, nodding at Mercedes. Mike moves the square closer and Mercedes waits for him before pulling the tube back. You hold your breath as you watch and Mike calls for a suture.

"Got it." Mike says in relief as you let out a breath.

"BP's stable." Noah says and you relax your shoulders.

"The patch is holding." Mike says to you and you nod, looking at Mercedes.

"Give me the sutures." You tell her and she arches a brow.

"Santana-" Mike sighs, shaking his head.

"Don't Santana me." You cut him off, holding your hand out for the sutures and the needle, "Out of everyone in this hospital, I'm the only doctor who can close a patient without leaving a scar. And if I do happen to leave one, it's not as noticeable."

"You shouldn't be working on Brittany at all with your-" Noah tries.

"I'm doing this." You tell him, staring at him. He sighs and nods, and you then glance at Mike as he steps back, before Mercedes hands you the things you need.

* * *

The monitor beeps at a steady rate as you stand at the side of the bed, looking down at Brittany as she sleeps. It's been ten hours and you're still not fully recovered from having to see Brittany as weak and pale as she was. It was something you never wanted to witness without even thinking of it, and something you can happily go the rest of your life without happening again.

You let out a shaky sigh and look at the monitor, checking over her stats for the hundredth time since she's been in recovery.

Your eyes run over the blondes features, counting her every freckle, and tracing the outline of her lips. You tilt your head, moving closer and uncross your left arm, hesitantly brushing a few strands of hair from her face. Her eyes flutter and you yank your hand away with wide eyes, your body relaxing as she stays asleep.

"You idiot." You whisper softly, shaking your head at her. She just had to try and be a hero. You smile softly, fondly, and swallow the lump forming in your throat, looking up as you let out a quiet chuckle, blinking away the tears.

You look at the door when there's a knock, and Quinn steps into the doorway, nodding towards the hall.

You look back at Brittany before turning and following Quinn out.

Quinn closes the door behind you, leaving it open a crack and you cross your arms, lifting your brows expectantly at her. She drags you away from the door and you pull from her.

"Are you absolutely out of your mind?" she asks and you furrow your brows in confusion.

"What are you-"

"You took over the operation, Santana. Do you know how many rules that breaks? You could go to jail!" she hisses and you shake your head with an eye roll.

"I only closed her up."

"Mike was the lead in that operation." She states and you clench your jaw.

"Which was ridiculous in itself. I'm the fucking cardiologist and I'm the best damn Intensivist in this hospital. Brittany's best chance was me."

"You couldn't perform the surgery due to the fact that it's not a one handed procedure!" she shouts and you narrow your eyes at her, "What, where you going to get someone to switch places with you, letting her bleed out even more because you're too fucking prideful."

"You think this was about my pride?" you ask her in disbelief and Quinn scoffs, "This was strictly about Brittany."

"About Brittany. Right." She nods before pinning you with a firm, pointed look, "Then let's talk about Brittany. About how you're so fucking blind that you can't even see that she has feelings for you."

"I know she has feelings for me." You tell her and Quinn does a double take, pulling her head back. "She told me. A week ago." You tell her and Quinn furrows her brows.

"And?"

"And nothing." You shrug.

Quinn lets out a frustrated groan and you huff, "God, Santana, you're so difficult. She tells you how she feels and you just push her away? When are you going to just stop with the one step forward two steps back and admit to yourself that you feel the same way?" she stomps and you clench your jaw.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Fabray."

"Santana, you're my best friend." She says as you look down, shifting before looking back at her, "I've seen you with girls before, okay. But I've never seen you like this. And I think risking your job just so she doesn't have a terrible scar kind of proves it." She says softly. You drop your shoulders, swallowing as you run your hand around your ponytail, and shift your gaze when you see a woman who looks like Brittany, just older, speeding towards the two of you.

"Excuse me," she says, stopping beside the two of you, holding her purse strap tightly while looking between you both with red eyes. "I'm looking for my daughter's room. Brittany Pierce? She works here and I was told she's on the third floor but I forgot what room with all the rushing and-"

"Don't worry," Quinn says as you stare at the woman with wide eyes. This is Brittany's mom? "My names Quinn Fabray, I'm a friend of Brittany's. This is…" she trails off, looking to you and you blink, clearing your throat as you hold your hand out.

"Santana Lopez. Also a friend of Brittany's." you smile warmly and Mrs. Pierce lets out a relieved breath.

"Oh good, I'm glad she has friends at work." She smiles faintly, squeezing your hand between hers. You nod and she lets go.

"I was just heading back to her room. I can show you the way." You tell her, giving Quinn a look letting her know you're finished, and she sighs before giving Mrs. Pierce another smile.

"It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Pierce."

"You too, darling. But please, call my Susan. Both of you." She says, placing her hands on both your and Quinn's arms. You smile and nod, holding your arm out. Susan nods at you and you lead her to Brittany's room, opening the door for her and watch as she hurries to her daughter's side, crying as she takes your place at Brittany's bedside.

You move to one of the two chairs in the room and move it towards Susan, offering her the seat before going to the other and positioning it on the other side of Brittany, further back so the nurses have room to get to her IV. You sit down and watch Susan whisper softly to Brittany, caressing her hand with her thumb in a motherly fashion, and look at Brittany's face, feeling your heart flutter at the sight before looking down at your hands in your lap.

_Fricken Quinn_, you think.

* * *

**A/N: ...okay now I'm just nervous. It was different doing Santana's POV in this story, hopefully I kept her in character. So a lot happened in here huh, but Brittany's okay! And you see how much Santana really does care about Britt *cough cough* it's gotta be love *cough cough*. So I hope you guys liked this one, next update is Wednesday, maybe Tuesday if I'm feeling it.**

**Also, some terms you may not know:**

**Ectopy**: A disturbance of cardiac rhythm related to the electrical conduction system of the heart in which beats arise from fibers outside the region in the heart muscle that's ordinarily responsible for impulse formation.

**PVC (Premature Ventricular Contractions)**: Basically it's that feeling of your heart fluttering or skipping a beat lol.

**-B**


	32. Chapter 34

**A/N: I am so terribly bored out of my mind right now, and I just thought, what if some of you guys feel the same and have nothing to do? Hey, maybe I'll update and give them something to read for like five minutes or however long it takes to read this chapter, lol. Anyway, yeah, so here is the next chapter guys, but just so you know, you still gotta wait until Friday for the next one! Also we're back with Brittany's POV!**

**-B**

* * *

May, 2015:  
Original Brittany POV

You take a heavy breath, your eyes moving behind your eyelids and groan quietly, fluttering your eyes open slowly.

The distinct sound of beeping from a patient monitor makes you furrow your brows. You faintly turn your head, looking at the monitor and the IV. You follow the IV line to where the needle is pushed in the back of your hand, the tube taped down so it doesn't fall out.

You lick your lips, feeling how dry and cracked they are and try to get some moisture on them as you flick your eyes around the room in front of you. You see a black tote bag resting on the floor by the small counter in the room, a pair of sneakers on top and tilt your head.

Next your eyes shift to your right and land on Santana leaning back in a chair right next to your bed, her eyes closed as her chest rises and falls heavily. You run your eyes over her face, her brows furrowed slightly and look down at your right hand, your lips twitching into a smile when Santana squeezes it with hers lightly.

"I thought you didn't support PDA?" you joke quietly; your voice rough and scratchy. You furrow your brows, swallowing to get rid of your dry mouth as Santana lifts her head up, looking at you with slightly wide eyes and a smile slowly forming. "Hey." You smile and Santana chuckles quietly, turning in her seat.

"Hey." She breathes, looking down at your hands. She clears her throat and takes hers away slowly before getting up and going to the tray at the foot of your bed as you watch her. She pours some water into a small paper cup and places the jug down before walking back to your side and handing you the glass. "How are you feeling?" she asks, crossing her arms as she looks over you.

You finish the water in three gulps and hold it in your lap.

"Like a million bucks." You joke, chuckling while shifting your legs. You look up at Santana and your smile falters as you take in her pursed lips and stern gaze.

"This isn't something to joke about, Brittany." She states and you roll your eyes playfully, shrugging.

"I'm just joking."

"I know." She nods, "But this is serious. You had heart surgery, this isn't a light matter." She says, her voice getting louder.

"Yeah, I know. That doesn't mean I have to be all depressed and-"

"Of course not, but you don't make jokes over something like this." She exclaims in frustration and you pull your head back, your brows lifted and lips parted. "God." She huffs, scratching the top of her head as she turns and paces. "Do you know how easily we could've lost you?" she asks suddenly, turning on you, standing at the foot of the bed as you fidget with your hands in your lap. "The knife made a laceration on the left ventricle. About the size of the tip of my finger. My finger plugging the hole was the _only_ thing keeping you alive." She tells you, her jaw clenched as she shakes her head, glancing down.

You force a playful grin, "Wanky."

"This isn't a fucking _joke_, Brittany." She tells you loudly and you watch her run her hands over her face. "Anything could've happened. You could've died." She says quietly after taking a calming breath and you swallow, "I don't know what I'd do if something went wrong." She glances up at you with her arms crossed protectively over her chest and you frown.

"San," You pat your bed and she hesitantly walks over, sitting on the bed with you. "I'm fine." You tell her and she shakes her head, looking to the side. You take her hand in yours and squeeze, getting her to look at you, "I'm still here." You tell her and she swallows, nodding faintly as she looks down at your hands.

* * *

You pout as Santana explains the cardiac rehabilitation exercises and routine you'll have to go through to strengthen your heart and scrunch your nose as she explains what one of the exercises is.

She is sitting on the edge of your bed, holding the paper as you lean slightly to the side, looking down at it, and she glances at you, seeing if you're understanding. You nod and she smiles, looking back at the paper and explaining some more.

It had been about three hours since you woke up and you were just waiting on your mom to arrive, Santana having called her after you're little talk. You were kind of nervous. You didn't know what to think about Santana and your mother having met already, but you did hope they liked each other.

"Day seven you go through-"

"Brittany?"

You and Santana look up from the exercise routine and you smile at your mother as she opens the room door. She lets out a relieved breath, rushing to your side.

"Oh, my baby." She cries, kissing your cheek and forehead.

"Mom," you groan in embarrassment, glancing at Santana with a blush as she watches you and your mom with an amused smile. "Mom, seriously-"

"Don't even try it, Brittany." She says firmly, kissing your cheek again while hugging you tightly but gently. "You had surgery! I got on the first flight out when I heard, we've just been waiting for you to wake up. How are you feeling, honey?"

"I'm fine." You tell her and she clicks her tongue.

"Santana, how is she?" she asks Santana and you lift your brows, looking at the Latina.

Santana shrugs, "Her stats are looking good, she hasn't complained of any pain, but that's most likely the strong pain killers, which should start wearing off in an hour or so."

"Wait, what?" you ask immediately and Santana smiles as your mother coos and brushes your hair from your hairs. You follow Santana with your eyes as she moves to the door, sending you a playful wink before leaving. "No seriously, what?" you call quickly and slump back in bed.

* * *

You subtly let out a heavy breath as you slowly walk into your room, Quinn at your side, watching you carefully. You give her a forced smile and can't hold in the relieved breath when you sit on your bed.

"Brittany, we could've just went to the desk and back." She says and you shake your head, getting back in the bed and lying down.

"God, no, I needed to get out of this room. It's like I'm suffocating in here." You grumble and Quinn shakes her head with a faint smile, covering you with the thin bed blanket. "Seriously, Quinn, I'm going nuts." You tell her and she nods, patting your shin lightly when her pager goes off.

"I gotta go, Britt." She says and you nod in understanding, "I'll come back in a couple hours."

"Okay, have fun telling people they have cancer." You sigh and she halts mid step, looking at you with an arched brow. You widen your eyes and blush, shaking your head, "That sounded terrible." You say and Quinn laughs, leaning forwards and kisses your cheek.

"I'll see you later, Britt."

You purse your lips and watch her leave and let out a heavy sigh, looking around for something to entertain yourself when your mother comes in, draping her cardigan over the back of a chair as she smiles at you.

"Hi, Honey. How are you feeling?" she says and you smile, shrugging.

"I'm good. Just bored."

"That's understandable." She sighs, sitting down next to you. "So, I wanted to talk to you about when you get out of here." She says and you close your eyes with a smile.

"I can't wait. Being a patient totally sucks." You pout, looking at her and she smiles, brushing her hand over your hair.

"I bet. I had a conversation with work and I'm going to take time off to stay here with you for three weeks."

"Three weeks!" you exclaim, shaking your head furiously. "Mom, no. You can't take that much time off."

"Honey, they'll understand." She tries to soothe and you pull her hand from petting your hair, bringing it down as you shift to look at her fully.

"I don't want you to do that. I'll be fine. I can get home care until I'm fully recovered."

"Nonsense, I will not have some random person taking care of you when I-"

"Mom, I'm not letting you do it." You tell her firmly and she pulls her hand back arching a brow at you. "It's not happening."

"What's not happening?" Santana asks as she steps in the room holding a tray of hospital food and a brown bag with a holder with two coffees. You scrunch your nose at the sight and she winces apologetically, putting everything down on the tray at your feet.

"My daughter is trying to tell me she won't let me take time off work to stay with her and make sure she's okay." Your mother says and Santana tilts her head at you in confusion while pulling the coffee out, handing one to your mother along with the paper bag.

"I got you coffee and a muffin." She says as she takes them and your mother smiles kindly, thanking her. "Britt, when you get out of here you'll need someone to stay with you." She tells you and you shake your head.

"She wants to take four weeks off. You'll get fired." You say to Santana before looking at your mother and she rolls her eyes.

"I will not."

"Mom-" you begin, shaking your head as Santana moves the tray over your bed so you can reach it.

"I will not leave you alone while you're recovering."

You groan in frustration and stab your fork into a single pea, giving her a side glance, "I don't want you missing so much work because of me. You want to retire soon." Your mother shrugs slowly and you glance at Santana as she stands at the side of your bed, her arm crossed over her chest as she takes a sip of her coffee.

"You could stay with me." She offers slowly and you lift your head in surprise, looking at her with wide eyes. She shrugs and lowers her cup, looking between you and your mother.

"Y-you…seriously?" you ask in confusion.

"Why not. I have an extra room and a work out space where you can do some of your routine, I'm allowed pets. You won't be driving for the next three to four weeks so it'd be easy for me to just bring you here when I come to work, and just drive back home. Plus you can still help with the differentials and get in a few clinic hours, if you feel like you need too." She explains holding her hand out. You stare at her for a moment before blinking and closing your mouth, looking at your mother.

"I'm okay with that. If there's anyone more fitted to look after you its Santana." She smile at the Latina and you lift your brows in disbelief, looking back at Santana. She smiles and looks at you, waiting for your answer and you swallow, shaking your head faintly to yourself before looking between them both and shrugging.

"Okay." You agree hesitantly, nodding.

* * *

A couple days later and you, your mother, and Santana are climbing the flight of stairs in Santana's building, the elevator going through maintenance for the next three hours.

"Are you good?" Santana asks as you rest back against the wall outside Santana's loft. You open your eyes, regaining your breath and nod tiredly, blinking over to your mother putting Chess down in the hall, readjusting her purse strap while holding her suitcase.

Santana moves to the door, placing both your suitcases on the ground beside her and pulls her keys from her pocket, opening the door. She lets your mother go in first, and then you before following after you, kicking the door closed.

"Do you two want anything to drink?" she asks, leaving the suitcases near the kitchen island, moving to the fridge. "Susan, would you like a coffee or something?"

"That'd be lovely, dear, thank you." She smiles, ushering you to take a seat. You roll your eyes and slowly sit down, letting out a tired sigh as you melt into the comfy couch. "I'm so sorry I have to leave tonight." She apologizes for the umpteenth time.

"Mom, seriously, it's okay. You've already apologized like twenty times." You tell her, flinching when Chess jumps onto your lap.

"Chester." She scolds, removing him from your lap to put him back on the ground as you open your eyes and watch him prance over to Santana who is putting his food and water dishes on the ground, after filling them.

"His name is just Chess, mom. Like the game." You tell her and she nods in remembrance. You glance up as Santana walks over, handing Susan her coffee and holding out a glass of water to you with a bottle of your medication. You sigh, taking them from her and take your meds before handing them back.

"I was thinking about making lasagna for dinner, is that okay with you both?" she asks and your mother waves her hand, shaking her head as she puts her coffee on a coaster on the coffee table.

"Oh, Santana, let me. You're doing so much." She says and Santana smiles faintly.

"It's fine, I just want to make sure everything is comfortable."

"It's amazing, San." You tell her honestly and she looks at you before nodding, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"At least let me help you." Susan offers and Santana chuckles, nodding.

"Fine." She smiles and Susan pats your thigh with a smile as Santana heads back to the kitchen. You both watch her grab your suitcases and bring them to the spare room across from hers before you look at your mother when she looks at you and winks.

"What?" you ask slowly and she chuckles.

"She's a keeper." She says and your eyes widen slightly.

"She's not…we're not-"

"I know. But you like her." She says knowingly, "And she obviously cares very much about you."

"Mom…" you shake your head and she just pats your thigh again, pushing up from the couch when Santana comes out with Chess following after her happily to help start dinner.

* * *

"Dinner was lovely, Santana." Susan says, pulling back from hugging her as you stand by the door with them, your mother's case at her feet.

"It's never that good." Santana laughs, crossing her arms as you're pulled into your mother's arms, "I've never thought of putting garlic and rosemary in it." She nods slowly in thought and you smile, pulling back from the hug as Susan gasps and puts her had on Santana's arm.

"Oh, dear, I should send you my Sheppard's pie recipe. Its Brittany's favorite. I'm sure you'd enjoy it as well."

You stare at your mother in shock, never having given her recipe to anyone before…like ever, and look at Santana as she beams.

"That'd be great. I gave you my email at the hospital, right? Or was it just my number?"

"I believe I have your email, yes. Auntie Snix?" she asks and you arch your brow as Santana blushes, nodding.

"That'd be it."

There is a moment where you and Santana just stand there as your mother looks between the two of you with a soft smile before pulling you both into a group hug. You look at Santana over your mothers shoulder as she glances at you and Susan sighs, pulling back.

"Thank you for this, Santana. I wouldn't trust Brittany's care with anybody else." She says honestly and Santana nods. "I must get going. The taxi should be down by now. I'll call you girls when I get home." She smiles and blows you both a kiss before leaving. Santana closes the door slowly, closing it fully when Susan is out of sight, before turning to face you already by the couch.

"She likes you." You tell her, slightly amazed.

Santana clears her throat with a proud smile as she walks over, dusting off the front of her shirt, "Yeah, well." She shrugs, sitting on the arm of the couch as you settle in the middle seat. You wince when you shift a certain way, glancing at Santana to see if she noticed, and of course she did; if her frown and concerned gaze is anything to go by. "What's wrong?" she asks, moving to the spot beside you.

"N-nothing, just a little tight." You mumble and Santana shakes her head, scooting forwards while her hands go for the hem of your shirt. "Santana, it's nothing-"

"Brittany." She says firmly and you huff. She carefully lifts your shirt, asking you to hold it over your chest, and pulls back some of the wrappings, inspecting the closed wound. You swallow, watching her eyes scan over the area, and take in a sharp breath when her pinky grazes your side. "What?" she asks in panic, stilling her hands as she glances up at you, "Did I hurt you?" she asks softly and you wet your lips, shaking your head faintly.

"No."

You look between her eyes as she does the same, your heart beating strong against your chest, and glance down to her lips as she wets them. Yours part and you glance back up at her eyes, watching hers lift from your lips before they close and she's shaking her head.

"It's uh, it's late." She says quietly, putting the wrapping back properly before pulling your shirt down to cover it. You watch her as she gets to her feet, a hand in her hair as she glances around the loft before she looks back at you, "Do you need help to bed?" she asks and you furrow your brows, shaking your head.

"I'm sure I can do that." You say and she nods.

"Okay, well I'm going to take Chess out so he can do his thing and I'll be right back up. Five minutes."

"I'll be fine, San." You roll your eyes and she nods, keeping her eyes on you for a moment longer before turning and going to the door, calling Chess. You look behind you when you hear him drop as if jumping down from a bed and see him running out from Santana's room.

"Ugh, dog." She groans, pulling his leash from the coat hanger and Chess just wags his tail happily, his bum moving with it.

* * *

**A/N: So no cliffhanger this time. Did any of you think that Brittany would be moving in with Santana while she heals? No? Yes? Pfft, yeah right ;) I wonder if there will be some overpowering sexual tension going on... Also more time with Mama Pierce and Santana as a few of you have asked I believe, yay! As you can probably tell those two have talked while Brittany was out and Susan is quite fond of Santana muahaha. This story is so fun *sigh* **

**Yes, so next chapter is up Friday and hopefully this site will fix it's damn issues because I'm getting really annoyed with the extra shit I have to do just to update. Not happy. And with that I bid you farewell, I'm going to take a nap! Mwah!**

**-B**


	33. Chapter 35

**A/N: Oh my god, fanfiction finally dealt with their shit! I can finally update like usual before muahaha. Also, my apologies for the late update, I would remember then forget, then remember then forget, it was quite mental. But better late than never right? Mwah! Mwah! Double kisses!**

**-B**

* * *

May, 2015:

You let out a content sigh as you snuggle further into bed, pulling the blankets around you tighter when you hear a sharp bark. You furrow your brows and crack an eye open, lifting your head faintly from the pillow to look around.

"What the…" you say groggily and push yourself onto your side, rubbing your eyes with the back of your hand as you let out a yawn. You squint and look around the bedroom in confusion because your bedroom is not this color and your sheets are not this comfortable. Then it hits you. Again.

The past few days you've been waking up in Santana's guest bedroom with no idea where the hell you were at first before you remembered what happened and that you were basically being babysat by the girl you were pretty much in love with.

You lie back down and pull the fluffy blanket to your chin, inhaling the vanilla scent that lingers around the house and smile faintly before frowning when you hear another bark.

Right.

You slowly get out of bed and run a hand through your hair as you look over yourself, having worn an oversized t-shirt and boy shorts to bed. Your legs carry you to the door of the bedroom and you slowly open it, curiosity peaking your interest when you hear upbeat music along with a raspy voice singing along coming from the kitchen.

You quietly creep closer to the kitchen and stop at the single step up, watching Santana bop her head along to the music as she stands at the counter by the stove, stirring something in a big bowl.

"You light me up inside, like the fourth of July, whenever you're around I always seem to smile…"

You smile fondly in amusement as you watch Santana dance slightly and tilt your head when Chess barks once more, seeing him on his hind legs jump up at Santana with his tail wagging.

"…and people ask me how, well you're the reason why I'm, dancing in the mirror and singing in the shower." Santana sings along, scrapping the wooden spoon in her hand against the edge of the bowl before bringing it to her face and using it as a microphone while bending down and singing to Chess.

You bring your hand to your mouth to cover up you silent laugh, your eyes locked on Santana giving it her all in her track shorts and sports bra, her hair pulled into a messy bun with black framed glasses resting on her nose.

Your heart flips at the sight and how fricken adorable she looks, and you let out a sigh with a dreamy smile as you continue to watch.

"All I want all I need is your loving, whoop! Baby, you make me hot like an oven, whoop!" Santana dances like a complete dork, bouncing her shoulders with every _whoop_ she lets out and you silently, like a ninja, move to the island and rest your forearms against the top as you watch. "Since you came you know what I discovered, whoop! Baby, I don't need me another!"

Your eyes run down to her backside as she picks up the owl in her arms, stirring its contents while beginning to salsa dance.

"No, no, all I know. Only you got me feeling so. And you know that I got to have ya, and I don't plan to let you g-Oh!" Santana jumps when she turns around to see you watching her with an amused smirk, and almost drops the bowl in her arms.

"Oh, please, don't let me stop you." You say playfully, motioning for her to continue as the music plays.

"Jesus Christ, Britt!" she breathes, clutching a hand to her heart while looking at you with narrowed eyes, "You scared the shit out of me."

"When I agreed to stay here I didn't think I'd catch you singing into a wooden spoon and dancing with my dog." You nod to yourself before smiling widely, "But boy am I glad I got to witness that." You laugh, dropping your chin into your hands as Santana blushes deeply. "Also, I didn't know you had glasses."

"Oh god!" she says in horror, ripping them from her face.

"San, put them back on. You're obviously cooking something and I'd rather you don't do so while you're blind."

She rolls her eyes and puts her glasses back on, "I wear my contacts most of the time."

"Why? Glasses are sexy." You shrug and she arches a brow, "Okay, you wearing glasses is sexy." You roll your eyes, pulling yourself up onto one of the island stools. You look up at her, catching sight of her faint smile as she turns to go back to the stove. "So what are you making, and do I get some?"

Santana lets out a chuckle and nods, glancing back at you, "Of course you do, and they're chocolate chip pancakes. I had a craving." She says and you hum happily.

"I haven't had those in forever."

"I made you pancakes when we watched 'Marley &amp; Me'." She says with an arched brow and you drop your shoulders, giving her a pointed look.

"Yeah, but there weren't chocolate chips in them."

"Ah…" she nods before rolling her eyes with a smile and turning back to the stove, pouring small amounts of batter into a frying pan. You glance around and smile down at Chess when he plops himself down on the floor beside you, looking up. "Britt?"

"Yeah?" you ask, lifting your head. You eye her pointed look and she just tilts her head towards the corner cupboard. You groan in annoyance and slide off the stool, going to retrieve your medication. "This is dumb."

"Yes, because taking medication to help you recover after being stabbed in the heart is dumb." Santana comments from her place and you stick your tongue out at her behind her back before swallowing your pills. "How many of these thing do you want? Apparently I made enough batter to feed a small village."

"However many is fine." You tell her, "I'm going to brush my teeth and take a quick shower."

* * *

"Hey, Santana, I was wondering-" you stop mid-sentence on your way out of your temporary bedroom, and halt mid-step when you see Santana lowering her body to the ground only to bring it back up in a pushup. _Oh dear lord_, you say in your head as Santana pauses from doing her next push up, looking at you and flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"What were you saying?" she asks with her brows furrowed.

You just run your eyes over her toned legs, stretched out, her lower back, glistening, and then to her strong arms, muscles flexed and making your knees weak.

"Britt."

"Huh?" you blink and look at her innocently with a deep blush and she smiles faintly.

"What were you wondering?"

_How you can hold yourself like that, unwavering, for so long._

"Oh, um…I forgot." You mumble sheepishly before stepping down and hesitating before going to the kitchen for a drink. You watch Santana subtly as she resumes her workout. After grabbing a glass and the carton of orange juice, you pour and glance up at Santana getting to her feet slowly. She rolls her shoulders back while tilting her head to the left and then the right.

You go to the fridge, putting the carton back, and pick up your glass, glancing at Santana as she stretches to end her exercise. You lower your glass from your lips, placing it on the island, and Santana fans herself off while walking into the kitchen, smiling at you. You give one to her as she grabs her water bottle from the fridge, finishing a third of it before taking a breath and letting out a heavy sigh while slumping against the counter.

You arch a brow and she looks at you, letting out a chuckle.

"Rather than watching me workout, you should've been there with me so we could continue with your rehabilitation." She points out and your groan.

"I prefer doing that at the hospital where I can be alone."

She frowns, "You shouldn't be alone while you're there. Something could happen-"

"San, it's fine." You tell her and she huffs, "I'm literally lifting five pound weights and walking on a treadmill."

"Still, your heart could-"

"Seriously, Santana." You chuckle, putting your hand on her forearm to stop her. She closes her mouth and glances at you as your thumb brushes over her skin gently. You look between her eyes before forcing a smile and pull your hand back.

"Okay, fine." She says quietly, finishing another third of her water before letting out a heavy breath. "So what do you want to do then?"

"What I really want, or what you'd find acceptable with my condition?" you ask knowingly and Santana smirks.

"What do you really want to do?" she asks and you brighten and begin to think. Your smile falters when you can't think of anything and then you pout making Santana laugh. "How about you let me know after I shower?"

"Deal." You nod and she shakes her head fondly before leaving her water on the table and heading into her bedroom.

* * *

You are sitting on the couch flipping through channels on TV when Santana comes out from her room in shorts and a long tank top, her hair damp and in messy bun with her glasses sitting on her nose.

"Well don't you look adorable." You tease lightly when she sits down beside you, Chess immediately jumping up to plant himself on her lap. You shake your head in amusement at how taken with her he is as Santana pets his head affectionately. It's really cute how comfortable she is with him now.

"Ha, ha." She laughs sarcastically before shifting and leaning further back into the couch, "But I'll take it as a compliment."

"Well it was meant as one so…" you draw out before giving her a cheeky smile, and she rolls her eyes fondly at you.

"So, what are we doing?" she asks, leaning back in the couch with her arms crossed, pulling her left knee to her chest.

You hesitate and glance at her, looking back at you patiently, and wet your lips nervously.

"Well, since the surgery I've been sleeping all weird and I kind of messed up my neck."

"Okay?"

"So, I was going to suggest we watch TV and you give me a massage." You say slowly, glancing at her.

Santana lifts her head slowly with her lips parted and you can tell she has things running through her mind, just like you did when you thought of the idea. You wait for her response, flipping the remote in your hands when she clears her throat.

"Yeah. Of course, if it's making you uncomfortable then yeah." She says, nodding and you smile.

"Really? It won't be weird?" you ask unsurely and Santana waves you off.

"Its fine, Britt." She tells you before putting her leg down, pulling her right leg under her, and scooting forwards to the edge of the couch, "Sit in front of me."

You, a little too eagerly, sit on the floor in front of Santana and she chuckles quietly as you let out a relaxed sigh, before looking back at her. She arches a brow while rubbing her hands together to warm them up before putting her hand on top of your head, and turning it so you're facing forwards. You chuckle and quickly tie your hair into a bun on top of your head and take a sharp inhale when Santana's hands move to your shoulders.

She hesitates a second before putting light pressure on her thumbs and moving them outwards from your spine, slightly up to the base of your neck. You let your eyes fall shut and tilt your head forwards as Santana massages your shoulders. And it feels really good; like too good. You hum your approval and tilt your head to the left, your shoulders relaxing under Santana's touch.

"Is this okay? I'm not pushing too hard am I?"

"It's really good." You breathe, biting your lip to hold back a pleased groan.

"Good." She mumbles before she moves her thumbs to your shoulder blades, adding pressure.

"Right there." You moan, licking your lips, and Santana's hand still before she starts again. "God…Santana, yes."

"Okay!" Santana says loudly, pulling her hands back. You open your eyes with a frown and shift to look at her.

"Why'd you stop?" you pout and Santana just opens and closes her mouth with pink cheeks while rubbing her hands on her thighs. You tilt your head in confusion as she avoids your gaze.

Santana glances at you and lets out an embarrassed chuckle before wetting her lips and pulling her bottom lip into her mouth. You glance down, following the action, before swallowing and lifting your gaze. Santana holds your stare for a moment before shaking her head faintly and lifting her hand to her forehead.

"Uh, I just forgot we're out of milk." She states while you move back to the couch.

You arch a brow at her and she nods to herself, "Yeah. I should go and…get that." She mumbles, getting up and you grab her hand, looking at her carefully.

"Santana?" you say quietly, "Are you okay?"

She nods and gives you a forced smile before pulling her hand free, "I'm fine, I just need milk." She says, turning to head to the door. "Maybe some vodka or something." You hear her mumble to herself and crack an amused smile as she grabs her keys to leave, "Oh!" she exclaims before closing the door behind her, poking her head back in.

"Hmm?"

"Be careful while I'm out, okay?" she asks softly and you blush at her constant worry.

"I'll be fine, San." You tell her and she just stares at you, biting her lip before blinking and taking a breath.

"Okay." She says before she leaves the apartment.

* * *

"It's so boring here." You mumble with a frown as you stand in the doorway of Santana's bedroom.

She looks up from her laptop and arches a brow from behind her glasses, "I'm glad you're enjoying my home." She says sarcastically and you crack a grin, pushing off the door-frame. "Besides there is a lot you can do, you just refuse to do it." She states with a pointed look as you walk to her bed and crawl on top.

"Yeah, well, I'm not too fond of cleaning someone else's place." You tell her, crossing your legs as you lean towards her and look at her laptop screen.

"Nosy, much?" she laughs and you shake your head with a smile, moving the mouse down the page.

"Where are you going?" you ask, taking your eyes away from the airline website, "You're leaving your injured roommate alone to go to Chicago?"

Santana rolls her eyes and closes her laptop, resting her elbows on it as she runs her hand over her face and under her glasses.

"I was thinking of going to visit Juan and our Tia at the end of July, maybe early August." She tells you before looking at you with a tilt of her head, "Hopefully you'll be healed and out of my hair by then."

You drop your jaw and grab one of the pillows from the bed, smacking Santana in the back of the head with it as she laughs, "Bitch."

"You love it." She says knowingly and you roll your eyes, pulling the pillow into your lap.

"You wish." You reply and she snorts in amusement, putting her laptop on her night table before grabbing he pillow and hitting you in the face. You crack your eyes open as Santana burst out laughing, holding her arms around her stomach and bite your lip as you nod slowly. "She hits her injured patient."

"One, you're not my patient, and two, a pillow will not do you any harm." She laughs, wiping under her eyes as she cries. "That was too awesome. You didn't even move." She says before moving onto another fit of giggles.

"Shut up." You laugh, grabbing the pillow from her.

"Hey!" she calls through her laugh, reaching for the pillow. You toss it away and grab her arm, pulling her into a tight hug. "Brittany!" she laughs as you pull her down so the both of you are lying on your sides, Santana trapped in your arms.

"With all your exercise you'd think you could get out from this." You tease as Santana snorts, blowing her hair from her face.

"I could but I don't want to hurt you."

"Like you could!" you laugh and Santana glares harmlessly at you, making you laugh harder. She lets out a huff with a pout of her own and you roll your eyes, loosening your hold a bit while keeping your arms around her.

Santana smirks victoriously and you tighten them again only for her to laugh and nod, "Okay, release me, you dork." She smiles and you loosen your hold again, snuggling against her. "Ugh, Britt." She groans.

"You love the cuddles." You state, tucking your head into the crook of her neck.

"Gross." She says and you giggle before she sighs and drapes her arm over your side, playing with the back of your shirt. It's your turn to smirk victoriously and Santana slides her hand under your shirt, brushing the tips of her fingers over your side, making you squeal and roll away from her. "That's right." She sings, holding back a laugh, and you narrow your eyes at her. "You're about as intimidating as baby green monkey." She says, grabbing your wrist and pulling you back over to her.

"What are you doing?" you ask in amusement as she wraps her arms around you, resting her head on your shoulder.

"Getting my cuddles on, now shush, you're ruining it." She says, giving you a playful, threatening look, and you feel your heart flutter; which now that you think about it, may or _may_ _not_ be because of Santana. You're pretty sure it is.

* * *

**A/N: Haaaah haaaaaaaaaah! Cuteness overload? This was so fun to write, the whole chapter, just Brittana interaction and I personally loved it. So I hope you guys do too! Let me know what you think ;) So next post will be Sunday around noon...well noon for me. Also...PREGNANT NAYA hahohaha so excited for pictures! I'm calling she has a girl! **

**-B**


	34. Chapter 36

**A/N: Sup ya'll! So a little heads up, this chapter is kind of shorter ~1700 words so I'm thinking I'll update tomorrow for everyone. not one hundred percent sure I'll remember to do so but I'll try to. Hope you guys enjoy this one *wink wink* ;)**

**-B**

* * *

May, 2015:

You let out a heavy breath as you speed walk on the treadmill, your brows furrowed as you try to go a little longer, pushing yourself as far as you can until you pass out. You glance at the time you've been walking and smile faintly, a whole three minutes better than last time, and hit the stop button, grabbing the pen and paper from the screen of the treadmill and write down how much you've walk and how far.

Fifty-eight minutes. You slowly wet your lips as you write the number down to fit in the stupidly tiny box provided and look over your progress of the week. You nod, smiling faintly at how your stamina for your heart has increased within the past two weeks.

Two weeks staying with Santana in her loft apartment. You're not going to lie. It had been rough. Not in the bad way, but more so in the_ oh-my-god-why-are-you-doing-calisthenics-in-that-tiny-getup_?! Like god, the first weekend you spent at her apartment you had walked out of your room only to be met with the sight of Santana doing pull-ups with one of those doorway attachment things in the bathroom. The way her shoulder and arm muscles flexed with every lift, her skin glistening with a faint sheet of sweat was enough to make your mouth run instantly dry and a small whimper to pass your lips.

Then another day you were on the couch and who walks by wearing the tiniest shorts and thinnest possible sports bra? Santana! She was going to take Chess out for his evening walk and he followed quickly after her with his tongue out, tail a wagging_. Lucky bastard_, you had thought.

And the worst part! The god damn grunts she makes while going through her workout. It was torture.

She made working out look so sexy and yet when you were sitting down and doing arm curls with the ten pounders, going through a few jumping jacks, doing pushups you'd say you looked completely unattractive.

You lick your lips, picturing Santana standing at the kitchen island after her workout, squirting water from her bottle into her mouth, one little droplet always managing to run down her chin and neck to the valley of her breasts; taunting you.

You glance up when there is a knock on the door of the physical therapy exercise room and smile with embarrassment at Mike as he lowers his fist from the open door, smiling at you.

"How are you holding up?" he asks, hurrying over to help you move from the treadmill to the small round tables off to the side of the room. You wince, feeling a little tug of the stitches and Mike frowns, ducking his head to look at you in worry.

"I'm good." You tell him, "Well, better."

"Yeah? That's great, Brittany!" Mike beams as you nod take deep breaths. God you hated feeling so useless. Even breathing was harder than it should be. "How long were you going at it?" he asks, noticing your breathing.

"Fifty-eight minutes." You tell him and he nods, sitting back as you watch his worry fade but remain faintly. "Don't look at me like that." You mumble and he furrows his brows.

"Like what?"

"Like you feel sorry for me."

"Well, I am sorry that it happened to you and that you have to go through this." He says, reaching over to squeeze your hand. "You were seriously injured, Britt." He frowns.

"I know." You sigh, pulling your hair from its ponytail and run your hand through it. "But I've already been making good progress Santana said. And I can feel it. Within a few more weeks I'll be back to normal." You smile, "Plus, I'm going to totally rock the beach. All this exercising making me killer. Plus the sick battle scar. Although there isn't much of one." You smile knowingly, patting Mike's hand. "Did good, Chang." You chuckle and Mike furrows his brows with a faint smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Patching me up. I doubt there will even be that bad of a scar. You sure you aren't like a plastic surgeon?" you ask thoughtfully and Mike shakes his head, leaning forward in his chair, resting his arms on the table.

"You don't know?"

"Know…?"

Mike chuckles, shaking his head and looks up from the table to you, "Britt, Santana closed you up."

"Wait what?"

"Yeah, she flipped before I even got the suture and took over. If it wasn't her finger keeping your from bleeding out, I'm pretty sure she would've taken over the whole surgery." He tells you, looking you in the eye, "She was really protective. Threatened me a bit about if I made the tiniest error. Pretty sure if your BP rose by three she would've cut my head off." He states as you just sit there with your mouth open in shock and utter disbelief.

The two of you look at the door when Santana walks in, you slower than Mike, and she slows her strides, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at you while holding a paper bag and drink holder with two cups.

"What's up?" she asks slowly, looking between you and Mike before he wets his lips and looks at you.

"We were just talking about Brittany's progress." He says with a nod, looking back at her. "I should get going though." He sighs and you glance at him as he gets up. "I'll see you later, Britt. Keep up the routine." He grins before nodding to Santana and leaving.

"Bye…" you trail off, swallowing and watch Santana as she claims Mike's spot, pulling out a Greek salad and two sandwiches from the bag.

"Half for you…" she says, splitting the salad onto different plastic plates and places the sandwich on it before sliding it in front of you, "Sandwich, and your iced tea." She says gently while taking your routine chart in her hands to look over your log. "Three extra minutes? That's really good, Britt." She smiles, her eyes scanning over the sheet before she flips the page.

You just stare at her in thought, your brows furrowed.

Santana threatened Mike?

She tried to take over the surgery?

You shake your head faintly in confusion and run your hand through your hair once again as Santana glances up at you.

"What's wrong?" she asks in worry and you shake your head again.

"Mike just told me I have you to thank for the lack of scarring." You say and Santana stills from reaching for her drink, glancing back at you with wide eyes. "Also that you threatened him during the surgery? And you tried to take over?"

"Brittany…"

"I'm confused." You tell her and she stares at you for a while before closing her eyes and letting out a heavy breath.

"You could've died." She says and you nod, "I don't know, I just freaked out and…I know Mike's a good surgeon. A phenomenal one actually but," she shifts, "I'm the cardiologist and when it comes to Mike and I, I'm the better surgeon. I should've been the one to do the surgery. I didn't trust anyone else to do it."

"Okay, but…" you try but Santana keeps ranting on.

"If he made the slightest error, I would've lost you, Brittany. You're too important to me, to everyone." You heart flutters in the good way when the words leave Santana's mouth and you smile softly at her as she rambles, her gaze locked on her drink. You shift your chair closer to her as she continues and she shakes her head. "You're one of my best friends and it took a while, even though I kind of always had this feeling, but I like you and-" you cut off her rambling with a soft kiss, cupping her cheek.

Santana immediately kisses back softly and you tilt your head, sucking her bottom lip.

You pull back, looking between her eyes as she opens them, and smile gently at her as she blinks, a tear falling from the corner of her left.

"Sorry, you were just being really cute and nervous just now." You offer as your reason for kissing her as she licks her lips. You brush her tear away with your thumb and her lips part as she faintly leans into your touch. "Do you know how hard it's been for me not to do that?" you ask her, glancing back at her lips and she chuckles quietly, nodding.

"Little bit."

You look back to her eyes and she licks her lips, lifting her gaze from yours before you both lean in, capturing each other's lips in a longing kiss. Santana parts her lips and you smile giddily, pulling her closer as you slide your tongue into her mouth and she holds the nape of your neck, returning the kiss passionately and slow, revealing her true feelings through the kiss. You suck on her bottom lip and she lets out a quiet moan before the two of you break apart, resting your foreheads together.

"Go on a date with me." You say breathlessly and Santana pulls her head back, shaking her head faintly.

"Brittany, you can't…"

"I know." You tell her quickly, "I mean when I can drive again. Two, three weeks. I want to take you on a date." You say and she glances down to her lap where your fingers are linked with hers, before glancing at you through her lashes and nodding. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she smiles and you beam, pecking her lips twice before kissing her cheek and jaw as she laughs. She pulls her one hand from yours to hold your head still and regards you with a fond gaze before closing the distance between you again.

* * *

**A/N: Heheheheh, soooo? The babe's are gonna go out, finally! Let me know what you thought of this chapter, if you so choose, and remember that because this was such a short chapter that I'm going to try to remember to update tomorrow, and then again Wednesday. Mwah!**

**-B**


	35. Chapter 37

**A/N: As I kinda promised for the short chapter yesterday, update! And only because I'm eating delicious lasagna and it's putting me in a good mood. Lol jk I would've done it if I was eating toast nasty. Okay, so here is Chapter 37! Hope you enjoy, mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

June, 2015:

You park your car in the visitor parking space, turning the car off and getting out, making sure to grab the gift from the passenger seat before you head into Santana's building.

It had been five and a half weeks since the whole scalpel incident and you were finally back to feeling like your old self. You and Santana had gotten closer after you kissed in the rehabilitation room. Well, you were already close but now you didn't have to hold back from kissing her or asking to cuddle and so on. Santana was showing you a completely different side of her that you've only seem glimpses of. She would lean against you on the couch and kiss you on the cheek, compliment you at times, and was just beyond cute. You weren't being affectionate in public, but that was because you wanted everyone, Quinn and Kurt especially, to not freak out.

You weren't a couple. You weren't even dating, well not yet, for like another ten minutes. You just want everything to go smoothly and for it to be easy and comfortable, not awkward and cringe-worthy like when friends try dating and it's really not meant to be.

_Oh god. What if it's not meant to be?! _

You freeze from pushing the up button for the elevator and look around with wide eyes.

_Holy shit. This date could actually turn out terrible_, you freak yourself out and swallow harshly, looking at the flowers in your hand. You wet your lips and take a calming breath, fluttering your eyes open. _It could be an amazing date. It will be an amazing date; because it's with Santana. Me and Santana_, you tell yourself over and over, hitting the up button and step into the elevator, hitting the button for her floor.

You step out of it and walk the few steps to get to her door before looking over your outfit for the night; a simple cream dress with a thin brown belt around the waist, nude heels, and a black blazer to top it off. You had your makeup giving off the natural look, and your hair had bouncy waves, one of the ways Santana liked it best. You found that out a while back when you were still friends with benefits.

All in all, you think you look pretty damn good for the night, and are just really excited to pick Santana up. Although it may be a surprise, Santana not knowing you actually left the apartment a while ago so you could pick her up like a real date.

You let out a breath and lift your free hand, knocking lightly before glancing around and trying to breathe out the nerves.

* * *

You hear the click of heels move towards the door and smile in amusement when you hear Santana's muffled curses of annoyance. Obviously not knowing you left the apartment, and arch a brow when Santana yanks the door open with a growled _what_.

Your heart flutters when you see her standing in front of you in a sexy yet sweet, sleeveless, navy blue dress with black pumps. Her hair in natural waves, and man, her eyes. You swallow and wet your lips. "I'm a little early," you say, smiling at her as her lips part, her eyes taking in your outfit, "I hope that's okay."

"Uh…" she says dumbly, lifting her eyes up to yours as your smile grows. She lets out an embarrassed, quiet laugh and shakes her head, "Britt, what are you doing? I thought you were locked in your room for the past hour."

You shrug innocently, glancing down, and lift your gaze, blushing, "I wanted to pick you up like a real date." You tell her and her brows lift faintly before she smiles sweetly at you, stepping forwards. You pull out the flowers from behind you and Santana steps back in surprise, smiling shyly as you hand them to her, "I was going to go for roses but that's been done, like a lot, and I like lilies better. Also, I heard they're the lesbians of flowers." You tell her quietly and Santana lowers them from smelling them.

"They're lovely, Brittany." She whispers, looking between your eyes before glancing to the ground and taking a hesitant step closer. You take a sharp breath as she swallows, moving to lean in and turn your head, kissing her cheek. She looks at you, surprised, and you just shift bashfully.

"We can't kiss yet." You tell her and arches a brow in amusement, "Not until after the date." You nod and she chuckles, nodding in agreement before pointing over her shoulder.

"I'm just going to put these in some water real quick." She tells you and you nod, standing outside the door as you watch her go to the kitchen, pulling a glass vase from a cupboard and filling it with water. You see Chess prance out of her room and look away, not making eye contact. "Okay." She breathes, stepping out into the hall before locking the door and putting her keys into her purse.

The two of you walk to the elevator, stealing shy glances at each other, not knowing how to start the conversation, and you hit the button, letting her go first before following.

"How exactly did you get me to believe you were at the loft?" she asks as you step out of the elevator.

You smile, a little proud of yourself for getting away with it, and push the front door open, letting her pass before following and leading her to the car.

"I left when I heard the shower turn off. You take half an hour alone after showering to do your hair and everything before taking another twenty to get dressed." You tell her, stopping by your car as Santana tilts her head. "I called a cab, got ready at home, picked up flowers and now here we are." You say, hitting the button on the key ring to unlock the vehicle.

"You're so sneaky." She says in awe and you shrug with a smile.

"Wait!" you say quickly when she goes to open the door and gently grab her wrist. "Allow me." you give her a sheepish smile as she holds back from smiling and open the door for her, blushing.

Santana looks at you affectionately, "God, you're so cute." She breathes, and your blush deepens. She walks to the door, pausing from sliding in, and looks at you, "I don't think I'll be able to wait until the end of the date for you to kiss me." She says, her hand resting over yours holding the door open.

"Me neither." You tell her and she lets out a relieved breath, stepping forwards to pull you into a kiss. You pull back just before your lips touch, resting your forehead against hers, "But we have to." You smile and she groans, making you chuckle. "Come on, San." You duck down, kissing her cheek, and she huffs as she slides into the passenger seat, letting you close the door before you round to the drivers.

* * *

"So I was thinking just simple movie and dinner." You suggest nervously when the movie theater comes appears on the right side. You look at Santana and she smiles, looking at the theater, nodding.

"That sounds perfect, Britt." She says, turning her head to look at you. You pull into the lot and score a close spot, getting out and opening the door for Santana who smiles sheepishly at your chivalry. You keep your hand around hers as you lock the car over your shoulder and walk with her to the front doors. Santana breaks the hold before immediately linking your fingers and you take a sharp breath, glancing at her as she keeps her gaze forward. You smile at the ground and she squeezes your hand, smiling when you glance back at her.

You pay for the two tickets to the new horror movie about a demonic possession, much to your displeasure because of Santana's suggestive lip biting. You get two drinks and a large popcorn to share, not seeing Santana slip the concession stand girl five dollars for a box of Dots. You carry your drink, the tickets between two fingers, and the popcorn as Santana carries her drink and the Dots you just notice. She winks at you and you roll your eyes playfully as the man rips the ticket, pointing you in the direction of the theater.

"Where do you want to sit?" you ask her quietly, the previews finishing up with a last trivia question, and look around for places near the middle.

"The back?"

You look at Santana with a frown, "The back? That's so far away. Why would you-oh…" you draw out at her suggestive smile and arched brow. "Oh." You swallow, blushing, "San, we can't kiss."

"I know." She shrugs, "But we can throw popcorn at people." She smirks and your lips slowly curl upwards.

"You're sure you're thirty-five?" you ask and Santana chuckles, bumping your hip with hers before moving to back seats in the middle, "Not ten maybe?" you whisper in question as the movie begins, and follow after her.

* * *

You stare wide eyed at the screen, lifting your straw to your lips as you watch the priest, the girl's father, and her boyfriend step into the basement.

This movie wasn't a complete horror. Like there wasn't any gore which was kinda lame, but it had pop up at the perfect moment and had everyone in the theater screaming in terror. You and Santana lost your popcorn the first pop up, enthralled in throwing pieces of popcorn at a couple making out a few rows down from you, throwing it in the air when the bitch girl launched herself across the room to strangle her father. So now it was just the Dots.

You lean towards Santana, eyes staying on the screen, and she jumps, "Fuck! God, Brittany!" she hisses, slapping your arm as you burst out laughing.

Everyone shushes you and both of you shrink into your seats. You slowly remove your hands from in front of your mouth, smiling widely in amusement at Santana, trying to keep from looking at you, her cheeks tinted, visible from the light of the movie.

"Aw, San…I scared you." You coo quietly, taking her hand in yours.

"You didn't scare me." She rolls her eyes and you giggle quietly, "Brittany." She says firmly, looking at you and you just smile at her.

"You're adorable." You tell her, kissing her cheek and she tenses. You pull back with a wink and she huffs, both of you returning your gaze to the screen just in time for the cameraman to zoom in to the bed where the girl was now restrained, the little demonic bitch sitting up and breaking free as she screams, attacking the cameraman. You and Santana scream bloody murder and cling to each other with the arm rest between you.

"This cannot be good for my heart." She mumbles and you turn your head, looking at her.

"_Your_ heart?!" you hiss quietly and she chuckles, kissing your jaw swiftly before quietly moving to your lap, tucking her head into the crook of your neck. You shift to get comfortable while wearing the dress, and finally relax, keeping your arms around Santana as you both return your gaze to the screen.

* * *

"I don't know why I let you convince me to go to a horror movie in the first place." You shake your head as you slowly walk up the stairs beside Santana to her floor.

After the movie, the two of you couldn't get out of there fast enough. Never again were you going to watch a horror movie. Santana could be begging you butt naked with her seduction eyes and you still wouldn't budge.

You took her to a fancy five star restaurant and spent two hours sitting at one of the more expensive tables just talking and laughing throughout dinner, linking fingers on the table and exchanging sweet smiles and compliments.

All in all, it was the perfect night. The perfect date with the perfect girl.

You get to Santana's door, slowing to a stop, and tuck your hair behind your ear as Santana fiddles with the keys in her hands, glancing around. You feel your face heat up when she glances at you, and shake your head before smiling and taking a few steps back.

"I'll see you at work." You say and Santana's jaw drops when you go to leave, making you chuckle and roll your eyes while walking over to her slowly, "I'll totally kidding." You whisper while cupping her cheeks before kissing her deeply. Santana's arms move around your waist, pulling your closer as she leads the kiss. You end up having Santana pressed against the door as you massage her tongue with yours, and she whimpers, breaking the kiss.

"You're staying." She breathes against your lips and you nod, taking her keys from her to unlock the door while pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

You drop the keys on to the little table by the coat hangers while kicking the door closed, Santana slowly taking your blazer off while keeping your lips moving. You move to the couch, falling on top of Santana, and kiss her neck while she starts to unzip your dress. You pull your arms from the short sleeves and cup Santana's cheeks, kissing her fervidly as her hands move your dress down around your waist. You push yourself up, standing up to get the dress off as Santana hurries to get rid of her own dress, it having been so many months since you've truly been together. Santana sits up and takes your hips, guiding you to her lap quickly and you run your hand through her hair, leaning down to kiss her.

Her hands run up your sides slowly and with loving touch as if she's trying to memorize the curves of your body, causing you to shiver and let out a shaky breath against her lips. You let your eyes flutter closed as you bask in her touch, furrowing your brows when her right hand stops under your bra.

"Santana?" you ask raspy and in confusion, pulling your head back to look at her. You frown faintly at the change in her look; one second full of affection and lust, now clouded with remorse. You tense in realization and follow her gaze to the long, thin scar. You swallow the lump in your throat as Santana's hand moves closer to the center of your chest, her fingers brushing lightly over the faint scar.

You glance at her eyes, glossy with unshed tears and catch her hard swallow before she glances up at you.

"San…" you say softly, wiping her tears away as they drop to her cheeks. "I'm okay." You tell her, knowing exactly what she's thinking, "I'm not going anywhere." You add, wiping away another tear as she nods.

"I know." She says, clearing her throat. "I know."

You tuck her hair behind her ear lovingly and tilt her chin up, giving her a soft lingering kiss to her lips. You continue to comfort her with kisses before hesitantly going to deepen it. Santana accepts the entrance immediately, pulling you closer to her when a phone goes off.

The both of you break the kiss, licking your lips while silently cursing the interruption. You look towards your purse and give Santana a quick kiss with a _one second_ before getting up and going to answer the phone.

You roll your eyes at Kurt's name on your screen and consider rejecting it before huffing and answering it.

"Hey, Kurt."

"_Brittany. Is Santana there_?" he asks quickly and you furrow your brows at the commotion going on around him.

"Yes, why?" you ask, glancing towards Santana. She runs a hand through her hair, turning to look at you as your lips part and shoulders drop. You look away from her as Kurt continues to talk, glancing back at her to see her frown and tilt her head in confusion. "Yeah, we'll be right there." You tell him before hanging up, Santana slowly getting up.

"What's going on?" she asks carefully as you run a hand through your hair. "Brittany…"

"There was an accident a few blocks from the hospital."

"What? Is it Quinn? Rachel?" she asks quickly and you look at her sadly. "Britt, you're starting to-"

"It was a bus. Juan and your aunt were on it." You say apologetically and Santana just shakes her head.

"No, they're in Chicago."

"Well they're here." You say, "Santana, we need to go to the hospital."

"It's not them." She says, shaking her head while stepping back.

"San…"

"It's not them. It can'-"

"Santana!" you exclaim firmly. You clench your jaw when she swallows, "We need to go." She nods and you offer a reassuring smile before you tell her she should throw on comfortable clothes, and quickly head into your room, throwing on skinny jeans, a hoodie, and converse sneakers.

* * *

**A/N: Oh snap, I'd gone done it. That cliffhanger and you have to wait until Wednesday, damn. In all realness now I'd like to thank everyone who keeps giving praise to this story, it means a whole lot to me and I never thought this story would catch so much attention, it's just amazing and I feel like I don't thank you enough because I don't every chapter. Just know how much it means to me and that yes I write for the pleasure of it but that now I have all of you to write for. **

**Also "seduction eyes" what's up Carmilla reference.**

**Until Wednesday! Mwah!**

**-B**


	36. Chapter 38

**A/N: I'm way too tired to think of anything to put in this authors note. Hope you like this one, mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

June, 2015:

You jump out of the car after Santana and lock it quickly before running after her as she goes into Mercer-Ray. You slow behind Santana as she stops in the foyer, looking around frantically and frown, moving to her.

"Santana." You say, brushing your hand against hers hesitantly. She swallows and looks at you and links your fingers together. You smile faintly and give a reassuring squeeze before nodding to the side, "They're probably still in the ER." You tell her and she lets out a shaky breath, nodding. Your legs quickly carry you to the ER and you burst through the doors with Santana and look around. You look towards the desk and feel a tug on your hand as Santana lets out a breath.

"Juan!" she shouts and you let her pull you over to the tall Latino sitting on one of the ER beds. You quickly run your eyes over his face and frown sadly at the bandages on his forehead and his eyebrow. His eyes snapped up and widened at the sight of his older sister as Santana lets go of your hand, running at him. She hugs him tightly, while being mindful of his casted arm in a sling, and pulls back, cupping his face as she scans him. "Dios mío." She says quietly, brushing his messy hair from his forehead, "¿Estás bien? ¿Qué pasó?" she asks quickly, checking over him as Juan rolls his eyes.

"Estoy bien, Santana." Juan mumbles, grabbing one of her hands with his good hand. "I'm fine." He tells her, staring at her eyes. Santana nods after a moment and Juan relaxes his shoulders. "Tia on the other hand…" he mumbles, lifting his hand to wipe his eyes as Santana tenses.

You step forwards and put your hand on her lower back comfortingly and she looks at you. You give her a smile and she nods, starting to lean into you when Juan speaks up.

"¿Quién es ella?" he asks, eyeing you and you shift as Santana holds you beside her.

"Este es Brittany." She says, sliding her hand down to yours. You glance up at her and she smiles at you, squeezing your hand before looking at Juan, "Be nice." She tells him firmly, "I mean it." She adds when Juan opens his mouth. "Where's Tia?" she asks and Juan swallows roughly. "Juan?"

"Juan!"

You and Santana look behind you as Juan straightens, watching Noah as he runs into the room. He furrows his brows when he sees you before shaking his head and moving around you, hugging his cousin gently, "¿Estás bien?" he asks and Juan nods. "Good, what happened? Where's Mama?" he asks quickly, lifting his head to glance around.

You catch the flash of despair cross over Juan's features before he shakes his head looking at his lap.

"Juan, where is Mama?" Noah asks again and Juan lifts his head with tears in his eyes.

"Oh god." Santana breathes, her eyes watering as Noah clenches his jaw.

"We were coming to surprise you for your birthday. We were taking a bus from the hotel to go to Santana's first to let her in on it when we were hit. It…" Juan swallows, blinking hard, "I don't know what happened... The bus flipped and I just remember waking up and Tia was there with this…this rod. I-I just got banged up a bit but Tia…the thing was sticking out of her thigh. It was all the way through." He blinks and a tear falls onto his lap as Santana stumbles back.

You quickly pull her into you to keep her from tripping backwards and she holds her hands over her mouth, shaking her head.

"Her thigh?"

"Y-yeah, one of the paramedics said something about a femur ater-"

"Femoral artery?" you ask and Juan looks at you and nods, "Jesus…" you breathe, tightening your arms around Santana as she cries silently.

"No." Noah shakes his head firmly, "No, this isn't happening." He says with a forced chuckle as he looks around. "Where is she? It's probably just this joke to her." He says, moving to look behind the curtain next to Juan's bed.

"Noah." You say as he turns to walk by you, "Noah." You say again, grabbing his arm. He stops and looks at you with red rimmed eyes. You shake your head faintly and he swallows roughly, looking away as he shakes his head.

"No." he says and heads to the desk as you watch him. You pull your attention away from him to look at Santana in your arms, wiping under her eyes. She pulls away from you slowly before walking over to Noah, pausing when he turns and tells her what room Christine is in. Santana and Noah head off and you help Juan stand up before the both of you go after them.

* * *

Santana and Noah enter the room and you and Juan follow closely.

Santana lets out a cry she was trying to hold back as Noah slowly, hesitantly walks to his mother's side. Santana wraps her arms around herself as she stands on the other side of the bed, Noah brushing her hair from her face as she lies motionless.

"Tia…" Juan whispers sadly, walking over to Santana's side. He puts his free hand on her hand, squeezing and ducks his head to hide his tears as the monitor set up beeps slowly. A clear tube was fed down her throat to allow airflow and her, what you assume would be, tan tone was now pale. Her hair was short, well shoulder length, with a decent amount of grey hairs, but not a lot.

You take a few steps forwards, standing at the foot of the bed and glance around at the two strongest people you know, in tears, and feel your heart break for them.

The beeping quickens faintly and you look to the monitor as Santana lifts her head slowly, Noah glancing behind him at the screen.

"Her heart's racing." Santana says as the door behind you opens. All eyes move to Dr. Thorn, a man you're not quite familiar with but have heard about around the hospital. "Her heart's racing." Santana repeats to him and he nods, walking over to stand beside you while checking over her chart.

"It's been on and off racing and we don't know why." He says.

"Maybe it's the bus that landed on her." Juan suggests with a bite and Santana gives him a firm shake of her head as Dr. Thorn regards the younger man.

"It's not trauma. She was stable post-op. This only started about an hour ago." He says, looking at you when you hold your hand out for the clipboard. He hands it over reluctantly and you give him a thankful smile before looking over it while moving to Noah's side, handing it to him.

"Thanks" he mumbles and you nod, looking back at Christine.

"Delayed reaction to the trauma." Juan grumbles and you glance at him.

"Ignore him. He thinks that just because he took a few bio courses in university that he qualifies as a doctor." Santana mumbles, shooting Juan a hard look.

"She lost both her kidney's in the crash?" Noah asks loudly in disbelief and you look at Dr. Thorn with wide eyes. "And she ripped her femoral artery."

"We fixed the artery." Dr. Thorn reassures, "Got her on dialysis for her kidneys. Whatever's doing this to her heart isn't from the crash."

"Did you check her potassium?" Noah asks, receiving a nod, "Pushed adenosine?"

"And verapamil and floated the swan an hour ago."

"Coronary angiography?" Santana suggests with a shake of her head. Dr. Thorn scratches the top of his head.

"Three patients ahead of her. It would take an hour before we could get her in." he says and Santana clenches her jaw.

"Listen to me-"

"Santana." You say softly, shaking your head faintly. She glances at you and bites her tongue, returning her attention to her Tia. You glance around at the three of the family members and then look at Dr. Thorn. "If she had any underlying condition the accident could've exacerbated it." You tell him and he nods slowly, opening his mouth to reply.

Alarms sound in the room from the monitor and every snaps their gaze towards it. Your eyes widen and Noah jumps to his feet.

"V-fib." He calls. Dr. Thorn rolls the cart over to him and Noah grabs the two small paddles, rubbing them together. "Charging-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Santana says quickly, grabbing his wrists. Noah pauses, looking at her in shock. "Protective hypothermia."

"You want to freeze her?" Dr. Thorn asks in confusion as Noah and you wait for her to continue. "Her heart's not beating." He points out and Santana doesn't even cast him a glance as she looks at you and Noah.

"Her heart's already damaged. If we restart it, it'll keep racing, shoot of free radicals, and kill her brain." Santana says with a calming breath. She holds her hand over Christine's body as Noah pulls the paddles back faintly, "We ice her down and put her on bypass until we diagnosis her." She says, looking at Noah before you.

"This isn't a solution. You're only pressing pause."

Santana nods and glances at Dr. Thorn, "It gives us more time to diagnosis her."

"Excuse me? I'm her doctor." Dr. Thorn states and you roll your eyes as Noah shoots him a look.

"This is my mother." He says, putting the paddles down while getting up. You step back quickly as he moves towards Dr. Thorn. "Her best chance is with my team looking after her."

"You're family." He states and Noah lifts his brows. He purses his lips before nodding and looking at you.

"Call Mike." He tells you and you lift your brows while pulling out your phone and dialing the Asians number. "Tell him we need him here and that you two are taking over my mother's case. Santana get the cold saline solution."

"Okay-wait, what?" you ask with wide eyes as you hear Mike's _hello?_ on the other end.

"You heard me." Noah says and you stutter before looking at Santana, giving you a nod while hooking up the IV.

_Shit_.

* * *

**A/N: Talk about trust right there. I kinda dig the chapters coming up because you'll see something I don't think is there in the earlier chapters. So yes, you'll see different sides of people, along with more of the crew. It should be fun! Interesting in the least. Now I need to go see if we actually did get any pictures of Naya and Heather last night. Mwah!**

**-B**


	37. Chapter 39

**A/N: I have a question for you readers, are any of you watching The 100? Because holy crap I love it. Here we go, chapter 39.**

**-B**

* * *

June, 2015:

You swallow as you stand in the overlook box as Mercedes and Sam, and Dr. Thorn freeze Christine's body in the room below.

"We're really doing this?" Mike asks you in a whisper from your left. You glance to your right, Santana and Noah standing with their jaws clenched, watching intently at what was going on in front of them before you nod. "Not too much pressure." Mike adds and you glance at him with a twitch of a smile. He smiles at you and you shrug.

"I know it's going to be tough but if they trust us enough to put Christine's life in our hands-I mean, Mike, they made this our case. Not the four of us, you and me." You whisper, glancing back at Santana listening to something Noah is telling her. She nods and replies quietly as you look at Mike.

"I know. That's what's freaking me out a bit." He admits.

You watch Sam, Mercedes, and Dr. Thorn as they finish up and swallow when Mercedes's voice comes through the intercom, "_Temperature is down to ninety_." She says, looking over the machines pushing the fluid into her body. "_Bypass circulating_." She says before looking up and giving you a thumbs up, "_She's stable_."

"So why exactly are we doing this?" Mike asks and you shift, glancing at Santana and Noah who look towards you.

"It bought us time to think." You tell him before taking Santana's hand, squeezing quickly, and leaving the room with Mike following.

* * *

"Okay." You say while standing at the white board with Noah's black marker in hand. "The trauma must've triggered a pre-existing heart condition." You say while writing 'tachycardia' down. "That makes sense right?" you ask with a wince, looking back at Mike leaning against the table in the office. He looks up from Christine Puckerman's file and puts the file down, nodding faintly.

"Autoimmune congenital anomaly." Mike says, pushing up from the table to stand on the other side of the white board while resting his hand on top of it and looking at you, "Blood clotting disorder, lead poisoning…"

"It could be anything." You state, shaking your head as you stare at the one word on the board, "It can literally be anything and it's up to the two of us to figure it out." You say, glancing at Mike as he swallows and nods reluctantly. "I don't think I can do this, Mike." You tell him, looking down at the marker in your hand. "And if we can't figure this out and she doesn't make it…"

"Brittany, stop." Mike says, putting his hands on your shoulders. He squeezes lightly to get you to look at him and you do. "You've been working alongside Puck for eight months. That man is great at what he does. And with Santana and myself with him, we've made a name for ourselves in the world. Now we have you. Another genius to add to the group. You are the best addition we could've asked for and you are so, so smart, Brittany. If there is anyone that can handle this and solve the puzzle right now, it's you." He says sincerely, looking between your eyes. You wet your lips and nod faintly.

"Okay." You breathe and shake your head as Mike steps back. You arrow your eyes at the board and tap the marker in your hand.

"We could narrow it down by looking for arterial blockages."

"How? With an echo? You can't see wall motion when there is no motion. EKG, nope. Heart's in the off position. Thallium uptake scan is useless on a cold heart."

You and Mike look towards the door and you smile widely in relief as Quinn and Sebastian walk into the room, "What are guys doing here?" you ask as Quinn takes a seat, Sebastian tucking his hands into the pockets of his lab coat with a smile.

"My days have been a bit slower as of late-" Quinn says.

"And I'm not booked for the next couple days." Sebastian adds, sitting on the edge of the table, "We thought you might want some help. It can get a little overbearing your first time in control."

"Also seeing as its Christine." Quinn says sympathetically and you nod.

"Thank you." Quinn and Sebastian smile and you clear your throat, "Okay, so besides an Echo, EKG and Uptake Scan?"

"We get her an angiogram, it can show damage even on a stopped heart." Mike suggests. You nod and turn to the board. When you don't hear anyone moving you do a double take back at them, their brows lifted expectantly. "You're in charge, Britt." Mike reminds you.

"Oh, uh…do the angio. Mike, talk to Juan and see if you can get the name of the hotel and if he'll give you the key to the room. Check for anything." You tell them and Sebastian and Mike get up and leave as Quinn stays behind. You put the cap on the marker and put it down before running a hand through your hair as you turn. "I'm not ready for this, Quinn." You say, your voice cracking.

Quinn gets up and pulls you into a hug as you try to hold back from crying, hugging her tightly.

"It's too much pressure." You say and she nods.

"I know." She says, pulling her head back to look you in the eye, "But you can do it. And you have me, Sebastian, and Mike with you. Plus there is no doubt in my mind Santana and Noah will be coming around once in a while to see what's going on." She smiles and you let out a faint chuckle, nodding in agreement.

"I know, I just…I didn't expect my night to go like this, you know?" you say, pulling back as you let out a shaky breath. You take a seat and stare at the whiteboard before looking at Quinn. "We had our first date tonight." You tell her and her eyes widen. "And it was perfect."

Quinn smiles and sits down beside you, "I just really want to be able to save her. I don't want Santana or Noah to have to lose her. And I don't want them to think I didn't do all that I could." You admit quietly and Quinn puts her hand over yours.

"They won't." she states and you let out a breath, nodding.

* * *

You walk into the room and Mike and Sebastian look up from the file they were reading, Quinn making a coffee. You slow before remembering what was going on and nod, motioning for them to tell you what they found.

"Coronary angio was negative." Sebastian says.

"As was the tox screen." Mike adds as you run a hand through your hair.

"That's it? Just negatives?" you ask as Quinn walks over, handing you the coffee. You mumble a thank you and look towards the whiteboard.

"She had prescription diet pills with her."

"She's a sixty-three year old woman, at one hundred and seventy lbs." Quinn states, looking at the bottle of pills on the table. "What the hell does she need diet pills for?" You shake your head, not knowing the answer to that question, as Mike continues.

"SSRI's, amphetamine." Mike says and Quinn hands the pills to you, "Diet pills cause structural damage to the mitral valve. Could explain the tachycardia."

"She'd have to be an addict for it to damage her heart." You furrow your brows and glance at the door when it opens. You straighten as Noah walks in with Santana and she smiles sadly at you.

"Do you have anything?" Santana asks and you hand her the pills. "Vitamins?"

"Prescription diet pills." You correct and she looks at you in confusion as Noah takes a look at the bottle. "We're considering the idea that she might've taken too many and caused structural damage to the mitral valve." You tell them both as Noah shakes his head.

"I would know if she was taking too much. You're suggesting she's an addict."

"Did you know she had them in the vitamin bottle? Or that she was even taking anything?" Quinn asks and Noah glances at Santana in shame.

"We need to warm her up. Get her heart beating so we can perform a CT to confirm." Mike says and Noah shakes his head firmly as does Santana.

"No." Santana says, "We've been over this. Starting her heart could cause brain damage. Could burn out the heart muscle." She states, looking from Mike to you. "You can't start it." She says and you glance at Quinn who gives you an encouraging nod.

You wet your lips and shake your head faintly, "Test her heart without starting it." You say and glance at your temporary team, "Open her chest, stick a finger in the pulmonary vein, and run it across the valve."

"You're serious?" Sebastian asks in disbelief, "You think that's the safer course?"

"If we're wrong it is." Quinn nods and you let out a breath.

"When did we start assuming we're wrong?" Sebastian asks and you glance at Santana before looking back at him. He follows your gaze and shakes his head, "You can't do that." He says gently before looking between you, Noah, and Santana, "If this were any other patient-"

"If the valve is calcified, that's our answer." You shrug, "That's our cure." You tell him and he looks over you for a moment before nodding. "Go." You say and he leaves with Mike as Noah follows closely. Quinn glances at Santana and then you before nodding and following the boys, leaving you and Santana.

You run your hand through your hair as you walk to the table, dropping into a seat and Santana sits next to you.

"Why did you and Puck give this case to me and Mike?"

"We gave it to you, Britt." She says and you shake your head.

"Why?" you ask, looking at her in confusion. She lets out a heavy breath and thinks before shrugging.

"I trust you." She says, quoting you from months earlier. Your lips twitch and she reaches for your hand, linking your fingers above the table. You take in a sharp breath, looking from your hands to Santana, and she leans forward, kissing you lightly before pulling back. You slowly open your eyes and she runs her thumb over the side of yours. "You're a genius, Britt. And we can't do anything because we're family. When it comes to those who are very dear to me, you'll always be who I go to, god forbid we're ever in a situation like this again." She says and you swallow as she looks at you fondly, "You can do this. Just trust yourself." She says before standing up and squeezing your hand.

* * *

You push open the OR door with your back, holding your hands in front of you and Mercedes quickly helps you put on your scrub shirt. You had put on your mask and hat, tying your hair up, outside before washing your hands.

Christine was lying on the table with multiple IV's hung around her, and a large monitor in the corner showing her face. The large lights above her were lit and it was silent. You walk over to the table and Sebastian looks over at you while adjusting an IV. You stand beside Quinn as she moves to pull the tape keeping her eyes closed, and put your hand out.

"Wait." You say quickly with furrowed brows, "Look at her eye." You say and Quinn looks away from you, lifting the tape to lift her eye lid. "She's jaundiced."

"Her liver's not working." Mike says from behind Quinn, looking over her shoulder and you glance up from Christine's eye to Quinn and then to Mike before looking up towards the overlook box.

Noah and Santana shift, watching you, and you look away from them as Sebastian addresses you.

"Diet pills don't kill the liver." He says and you nod.

"Put her back in ICU." You tell them before glancing back towards Santana.

* * *

**A/N: So I don't really know if there was anything in here that needs a description...if there is something you can let me know and I'll explain it in the authors note next chapter but I don't think it's necessary. Eh, who knows. Anyway! So Quinn and Sebastian joined the team to help out and I love that. Puck and Sebastian will be butting heads with this case so you'll see more of Puck's rash side along with Brittany struggling to find herself with her temporary position. **

**Yay for cute Brittana office moment. **

**-B **


	38. Chapter 40

**A/N: So I want to start this note by responding to one of the guest reviews for last chapter about Brittany solving every case and Santana and the team's "gross incompetence" as you so put. Brittany solved the 1****st**** case. 2****nd**** case, Santana came up with radiation, nothing could be done. In other words, Brittany didn't solve that case. The 3****rd**** case, Brittany realized the diagnosis and Mike came to the same conclusion seconds after, so they both solved it; AFTER Santana found something no one else on the team found, therefore saving the patients life. Saying the rest of the team, and Santana, more specifically, doesn't do anything and are quite useless…did you seem to forget that this story starts with Brittany becoming a part of the team? It doesn't show any pre-Brittany cases during the past five years when she wasn't there. Damn, and there are also the cases I don't write about, or the everyday life that Santana and the rest of the team have to go through at work. So to say the team is useless is completely untrue, and if you have a problem with what you're reading and how I focus on cases that keep the story moving, whether from this point on I make Brittany solve every single damn one of them, then you can stop reading, it's absolutely fine. Also! Santana only having her job because of nepotism? Yes, you're absolutely right. She was totally hired because of Puck, not because she had an impressive resume and Schuester thought she would be a wonderful asset to the hospital. If your reasoning for believing that is from reading the previous chapter where Puck and Santana are talking and Brittany is listening in, then I suggest you refer back and find your own error. Maybe I went of the rail there, maybe not, but don't question how I'm writing; and I do apologize for my being rude but just don't comment about things when what you're saying isn't true.**

**To everyone else, I apologize for my little bitchy speech above but that review just set me off, I don't know why specifically. Nevertheless, I thank you all for your feedback and I'm glad that you're still taken with the story as we move along. Over 800 reviews, 500 follows, and 230 favorites? Hot damn, you guys! You don't know how much that means to me. It is absolutely mind blowing.**

**Holy shit I didn't realize how huge that paragraph was...**

**Here you go, Chapter 40! Mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

June, 2015:

"Liver failure means that whatever this thing is it's spreading, despite the fact that she's frozen."

You lift your gaze from Christine's file as Mike speaks up before glancing at Quinn when she throws in her own bit, "Hepatic and heart failure could mean antitrypsinase deficiency."

"We could stick a needle in her liver. If we see fibrosis, she's right." Sebastian says and Mike nods, holding his hand out.

"And the cardio fits just as well."

Sebastian says and you glance at Noah sitting at the end of the table. Santana was with Juan outside Christine's room but Noah was now with the team listening in on your ideas. "But there is no way we can tell because we can't take her temperature. If we warm her back up we should be able to tell if she's got an infection."

"Yes, we could get a diagnosis by letting the disease run rampant until it kills her." Noah states firmly before running his hands over his head in frustration, "If it's spreading we need to slow it down even more. We've got to cool her down further."

You glance around at your team as they all exchange glances before settling their gaze on you and you shift uncomfortably before letting out a sigh and looking at Noah.

"Noah, we know you love her, okay, it's your mother of course you do. But making her colder and colder isn't a cure." You tell him slowly and he just lifts his head before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Look," Noah scowls, "We need to put more ice on her." He says and Mike closes his eyes with a shake of his head while Sebastian rubs his temples, Quinn running a hand through her short hair in annoyance.

"Putting more ice on her is just delaying our diagnosis." Sebastian says. Noah slams his hand on the table causing everyone to jump as Sebastian remains unflinching.

"This isn't your diagnosis, its Pierce's and if she thinks-"

"You're putting things in her head because you're letting your emotions get the better of you!" Sebastian throws back as Noah pushes his chair back and gets to his feet.

"It's my mother!" he shouts, grabbing the front of Sebastian's coat and lifting him to his feet.

"Noah! That's enough!" you shout, standing up. He breathes heavily as Sebastian just stares at him with narrowed eyes. Noah looks at you, "Can I speak with you for a moment?" you ask him firmly and walk towards Noah's office. "Make her colder. Fill her lungs with slurry." You tell the team while, pushing Noah's shoulder towards his office.

He lets go of Sebastian roughly before moving and you follow him, closing the door behind you.

"Okay, listen to me."

"Pierce-"

"No." you say firmly, turning on him. He straightens, holding his head up and not meeting your gaze as you poke him in the chest. "You gave me control over this case. You could've chosen anyone else but you picked me. Now it's taken me some time to actually get into my role and I won't have you sitting in with my team and messing shit up because you think you know what's best. In this moment, right now, you don't." you tell him and he glances at you.

"This is still my team."

"Not today it's not." You counter, holding his gaze. When he looks away you sigh and put your hand son your hips, glancing down. "I don't want to see you in here until we figure out what's wrong. Until we come to you." You tell him and he looks at you incredulously. "If you can't respect what I'm telling you myself, I'll go to Schuester and he'll tell you." You state and he rubs his jaw before nodding. You nod in return before leaving him in his office.

* * *

"Hey." You say hesitantly.

Santana lifts her head while opening her eyes as you take a seat in the chair beside her. She stifles a yawn and forces a smile, "Hey, what are you thinking?" she asks, turning to face you more.

You pull your gaze from Christine's room across the hall and glance down the hall with furrowed brows.

"Where's Noah and Juan?"

"Noah took a much needed walk and I'm not quite sure about Juan." She says, "Why?" she tilts her head, looking at you and you shake your head, picking at a strand of fabric from the arm from the chair.

"I wanted to ask about her health the past few months." You say and Santana nods.

"Isn't everything in her file?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you, and figured you could tell me about her history as well as the file, if not better." You shrug and Santana's lips twitch upwards, "Also see how you're doing." You add and Santana looks at you, shifting to cross her legs.

She puts her hand on the arm of her chair, flipping it so her palm faces up and you smile sheepishly, wrapping your hand around hers.

She takes a heavy breath while you caress the back of her hand with your thumb, "I'm doing okay." She nods, lifting her eyes to meet yours as you listen and watch her. "It's hard. I'm just…trying to be the strong one, you know?" she asks and you nod.

"You don't always have to be though." You tell her gently and she furrows her brows.

"Be what?"

"The strong one." You tell her and she slowly licks her lips, nodding. You glance around and Santana looks between your eyes. You start to lean in when Juan comes from down the hall, looking between the two of you as you pull back.

"What's going on, did you find something?" he asks, sitting down across from Santana as you look away from her and shift.

"I wanted to ask about her health the past few months."

"Isn't that in her file or something?" he asks in confusion and you nod.

"Just, answer the question, Juan." Santana rolls her eyes and Juan huffs.

"She's been fine. As fine as a sixty-three year old can be." He sighs, scratching his head, "There was that thing when I called you and it came back like a couple weeks ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Santana asks with a scowl and Juan narrows his eyes.

"Because you said it was just the flu the first time." He says, holding his good arm out as Santana runs her hand over her face.

"So she's been sneezing?" you ask and he nods, "What color was the sputum?"

"Sputum?"

"Snot." Santana clarifies with a huff.

"Uh, I don't look at that."

"Blood in her sputum could mean parasite. Let's assume runny nose means infection." You tell them and Santana nods. "Excuse me." You say when something hits you and get to your feet, heading for Christine's room.

"Wait, Britt." Santana says quickly, following after you. You step into the room and Sebastian looks back at you along with Quinn.

"What's up?" Quinn asks and you nod towards Christine.

"Let's flip her over." You tell them and Quinn arches her brow while Sebastian and Santana exchange looks.

"Why are we doing this?" Sebastian asks while he and Quinn turn Christine on her side, Santana standing beside you. You tilt your head. "She's bruised." Sebastian says in confusion.

"Look closer."

"It's a rash. How did you-"

"She's been sick, most likely a severe cold which in some cases you can get a rash. I figured we'd check her back before anywhere else." You explain to Santana and she nods. You step closer and Quinn and Sebastian move around, holding her on her side a different way as you and Santana look closer at her back.

"It looks like an influenza rash." Santana mumbles slowly and you nod.

"The flu shouldn't be killing her organs one by one." Quinn says.

"Dermatomyositis." Santana suggests and you glance at her with an arched brow. She clears her throat, "Just a thought." and you smile at her.

"Wouldn't speed up her heart." Sebastian says.

"An allergic reaction?" Quinn suggests and you scrunch your nose.

"Maybe it's not a rash at all. It could be an abscess." Santana says with a shrug. You nod and go to the cart off to the side, grabbing a needle. You remove it from its plastic packaging and bite the tip, pulling the lid off as you move back around to see the rash.

"If we see pus, Santana's right." You tell them before slowly pushing the needle in and pulling back on the plug. You scrunch your nose and pull the needle out.

"It's not fluctuant."

"It's clear." Santana says, "No pus."

"Which means it's vesicular." You sigh, looking at the clear liquid before putting the cap on and tossing it in the garbage.

"Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever." Quinn says.

"She has a god damn Chihuahua back home, maybe she got a tick." Santana says.

"That's treatable. Doxycycline." Sebastian says with a smile and you nod, smiling faintly at Santana as she lets out a breath.

"We allow eight hours for antibiotics to take effect, then we warm her up and shock her heart." You say, turning to leave when Santana grabs your arm, shaking her head.

"Wait, if we're wrong, restarting her heart could kill her." Santana says to you, and you wet your lips. "Run blood cultures first." She says and you furrow your brows.

"Santana, the fastest way to test is to treat. If we're wrong we'll still have time to try something else." You tell her gently and she furrows her brows, shaking her head.

"No, Brittany. You can't start her heart." She says.

"Santana-"

"You're not starting her heart." She repeats loudly and firmly, her eyes rimmed red as she swallows roughly. "Not until you're one hundred percent certain."

"We're never one hundred percent certain." Sebastian says tell her and she clenches her jaw and shakes her head, looking between your eyes pleadingly.

You sigh and look down, "Run the blood cultures. After we get confirmation then we'll restart her heart." You say as Santana relaxes, giving you a thankful smile.

"She's wrong." Sebastian states in disbelief and you and Santana look behind you towards him as Quinn looks away. He furrows his brows, shaking his head while holding a hand out, "You know she's wrong. You can't change your mind just because a family member starts crying. They're always scared." He exclaims as you purse your lips. "And I'm sorry, Santana, for what you're going through but we're doctors and you put Brittany in charge of this case, and now you're just trying to manipulate her into doing what you would do even when it's not something you would do. You and Puck shouldn't be allowed in the same rom as us while we're doing a differential because Brittany will bend to please you both." He states loudly in frustration while you sigh.

"Run the blood cultures." You repeat you tell him and hold his stare until he leaves the room with Quinn following. You barely cast Santana a glance before running your hand through your hair and leaving her with her aunt.

* * *

You rush into Christine's ICU room with Mike and Quinn close behind you and stop abruptly, taking in the scene.

Sebastian and Dean Schuester were standing beside Christine's bed with Noah trying to get at Sebastian, Santana barely holding him back. You look back at Mike and Quinn who move to your sides and they shrug in confusion.

"What the hell is going on?" you ask, moving towards Christine. You widen your eyes and look at Dean Schuester. "You were warming her up?" you ask in disbelief.

"You weren't making the right call." Sebastian says and you narrow your eyes at him.

"You went to Schuester?" you asks. "We still don't know what this is and you just let it spread to her brain." You tell him loudly and Sebastian holds his hands up.

"I told you this would happen!" Noah shouts at him, trying to reach passed Santana to grab Sebastian.

"Puck-" Santana tries, her jaw clenched.

"This is exactly what I said would happen. It's in her brain now!" he shouts, pushing Santana's hands away from him while pacing the room angrily.

"You had no right." You tell Sebastian.

"Look, brain involvement gives us a new symptom." Dean Schuester says, his voice overpowering everyone else's. You keep your hard gaze on Sebastian as he looks down in apology. Noah stops pacing and glares at the Dean and Sebastian with his hands on his hips. Santana wets her lips while shaking her head at what the Dean and Sebastian had done, while Mike and Quinn shift next to you.

"That symptom wouldn't be there if you hadn't-"

"It's where the disease was going." Dean Schuester cuts Noah off abruptly and you shake your head, "We needed to know-"

"This wasn't your decision to make!" Noah yells, turning on Schuester, jabbing a finger towards him. Santana hisses his name and grabs his arm, pushing it down while sending him a warning look while Dean Schuester clenches his jaw. "You went behind my back, you went behind Pierce's back!"

"I was informed Doctor Pierce wanted to warm her up and it was your constant manipulation that kept her doing what you wanted." Dean states firmly as Noah takes a heavy breath, glaring at his boss.

"Pierce did what she thought was-"

"You and Santana both used guilt to make her change her mind." Sebastian snaps.

"God, will you all shut up?" you exclaim in both annoyance and frustration, "Heart, liver, rash, and now her brain." You say, your hard gaze jumping from Noah and Sebastian to Dean Schuester and Santana before landing on the only two who have managed to not make you want to rip their heads off.

Mike and Quinn exchange looks before Quinn clears her throat, "Autoimmune fits best. The crash trauma could've set it off."

"Start her on prednisone and then we'll warm her up again." You say with a nod when Santana shakes her head stepping forwards.

"Brittany, if this is something other than infection the steroids will trash her immune system." She says with a pleading look. You hold her gaze before averting yours and hear her let out a short defeated sigh.

"She's the attending, you two are the family." Dean Schuester states, "It's her job to figure out what's wrong while it's your job to spend time with the patient." He adds before leaving.

You glance up when you hear the door close and briefly make eye contact with Santana before shaking your head in apology.

"I'm sorry, I have to do what I think is right." You tell her as she clenches her jaw, looking to the side. "Santana-"

"I get it, Britt." She cuts you off and you frown at her closed off look, "Just don't be wrong." She says slowly before joining Noah at Christine's bedside.

* * *

**A/N:** **Oh damn...Brittany standing up against Santana. My fav part of this chapter was badass Britt making a couple appearances and not taking any shit. So next update will be what, Wednesday? Don't have much to say...lmao so see you in a few, loves! Mwah!**

**Dermatomyositis**: an uncommon inflammatory disease marked by muscle weakness and distinctive skin rash. There is not cure but periods of remission may occur. Treatment can clear skin rashes and improve muscle strength and function. (Mayo Clinic)

**Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever**: a bacterial infection transmitted by a tick which, if not treated quickly, can cause serious damage to internal organs, such as the kidney's and heart. (Mayo Clinic)

**Your bit of education for Sunday ^^**

**-B**


	39. Chapter 41

**A/N: Hello, loves! All the feedback from last chapter oh man, I'm glad you liked the minor appearance of badass!Britt. So basically, this is going to be a double post because this chapter 41 is on the shorter side and I don't really like giving you short chapters to read after waiting however many days, I don't know, I'm too nice like that. So here is the first update for today, chapter 41! Hope you enjoy it, mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

June, 2015:

You slowly walk into Noah's office and glance around, moving to his desk. You place your hand on the back of his chair and hesitantly sit down, flicking on the lamp and lighting the corner of the dark office. It was almost four in the morning and Christine was warmed up half an hour ago. You had let Quinn go home to Rachel and Sebastian to Kurt, Mike refusing to leave until the two of you came up with anything.

You look around Noah's desk, smiling faintly as you pick up the tennis ball he tosses in the air when Mike comes into the room, handing you a coffee.

"Thanks." You mumble, taking the large cup in your hand. You take a sip, licking your lips as Mike lets out a heavy sigh, sinking into the chair on the other side of the desk.

He runs his free hand through his hair and gives you a faint smile.

"Anything?" he asks and you shake your head, "I hate to say this, but, Brittany, staying here isn't doing anything. There is only so much coffee can do. You need sleep. We both do." He leans forward, resting his elbows on the edge of the desk while taking a sip.

"We just warmed her up. We only have a limited amount of time before she starts getting worse." You tell him and he nods in reluctant agreement. "Heart, liver, rash, brain." You say quietly, "Heart, liver, rash, brain." You repeat, closing your eyes as you put the back of your hand holding the tennis ball against your forehead.

You were not ready for this kind of responsibility. And to be given control over a case where the patient is Santana's aunt, her second mother, and Noah's mother. God. You don't think you can do this, no matter how many times people have told you otherwise. You think back to Santana and how your relationship is going to be effected when you undoubtedly butcher this case. It won't be Santana crying in your arms, it will be you crying alone on your couch.

Wait.

You tap your forehead three times before furrowing your brows and slowly lowering the ball to the desk. "Can I see her file again?" you ask and Mike arches a brow, nodding towards the purple file on Noah's desk. You put the coffee to the side and flip the file open, running your eyes over the health history. You narrow your eyes and think, things clicking and moving into place until your brows slowly lift and you drop your shoulders.

"You have that look you always get when you figure something out." Mike says slowly and you look at him, nodding. He shifts forwards in his seat and you shake your head.

"If I'm right, it's not good." You tell him, getting to your feet.

* * *

Mike walks beside you as you head down the halls towards Christine's ICU room. Juan lifts his head from his non-casted hand and blinks up at you with furrowed brows when you stop beside him.

"What do you want?"

"Was Christine carrying a purse with her when you were on the bus?" you ask and he nods before shrugging.

"What's that have to do with anything?"

"What's going on?" Santana asks, sitting up in her chair across from Juan as Noah blinks his tired eyes open.

"I need to see her purse." You tell her and Santana arches a brow.

"What for?"

"Santana, I'm serious." You tell her and she rubs her eyes while pulling the handbag from under her chair. She holds it out to you and you take it quickly, turning to Mike, "Hold this." You tell him and he quickly puts his coffee down, holding the purse open so you can dig through it. You shake your head at all the receipts she has when your fingers touch a bottle. You grab it and pull it out, turning it around in your hand to read the label.

Your heart stops and your shoulders drop as you let out a shaky breath, swallowing roughly as you run your hand through your hair.

"She had the flu." You say and Juan nods.

"I told you that."

"You're saying this is the flu?" Noah asks with a shake of his head and you shake yours.

"It's not the flu." You tell them, looking at Santana, "It's what she did for it." Santana looks between your eyes and you swallow, "She has amantadine poisoning."

Noah furrows his brows, "The crash destroyed her kidneys. Her body couldn't filter the drugs. She OD's on amantadine which explains the heart, the liver…We just need to start her on dialysis and flush the drugs out." Noah says with a hopeful smile. Juan lets out a relieved chuckle as Noah nods but Santana keeps her eyes on you, her eyes running over your face.

"That's not all." Santana says and you glance at her, "Amantadine binds with proteins. Dialysis can't clear it out of her blood." She says, her voice cracking as she narrows her eyes beginning to water, "There isn't anything that we can do." She states and you blink, keeping from letting your apologetic tears fall as Santana looks back at Noah and Juan.

"I'm so sorry." You say sadly and glance to the side when Mike puts his hand on your shoulder. You look at him and he looks at you sympathetically before he looks to the floor. You look at Noah shaking his head in denial while running his hands over his head, Juan looking around in confusion with tears slipping from his eyes, and finally Santana. She's staring past you toward Christine laying in her bed and you take a hesitant step forwards.

"Santana…" you say sympathetically. She swallows roughly and her eyes shift to meet yours and you shake your head when her eyes water and her lips turn into a frown, and you pull her into a tight hug. She clings to you, crying into your shoulder as you hold her. Noah's shoulders shake as he cries quietly, facing away from everyone. Juan holds his head in his hand and Mike walks over, placing his hand on his shoulder comfortingly while looking at you sadly. "I'm sorry." You whisper to her again, closing your eyes as you rest your cheek against her head.

* * *

You stand outside Christine's ICU room the next afternoon, watching as Santana, Juan, and Noah sit and stand on either side of Christine's bed. She has been awake for a few hours now and Noah and Santana had explained what happened and what was happening.

Christine had cried faintly before putting on a strong front for her family, spending her remaining time just being with them as Noah and Santana updated her on what had been going on in their lives since they last spoke with her. You don't know how long it's been.

You watch as Noah shakes his head, Christine lifting her hand to cup her son's cheek, and wet your lips as Noah places his hand over hers, holding it as he leans into her touch.

Christine then takes Juan's hand, saying something to him and he nods, smiling briefly at whatever she says before ducking his head sadly and nodding again.

She then takes Santana's hand and Santana lifts her head revealing her tear stained cheeks and watery eyes. You cross your arms tightly over your chest as you glance away, giving them a moment and look back. You lift your brows when Santana nods and looks up, meeting your gaze, and slowly drop your arms as she gets up and comes to the door.

"Hey…" you say softly and Santana gives a faint smile.

"She wants to meet you." She says and you freeze.

"W-what?"

Santana nods and holds her hand out for you. You take it hesitantly and let her walk you into the room, Noah and Juan moving just outside the door. You look away from them in confusion and look at Santana before she nods slowly towards her aunt.

You look at Christine and she smiles tiredly, lifting her hand. You look between her and Santana before moving closer to her, letting her take your hand and swallow.

"You're my Santana's Brittany?" she asks and your lips part as you think over what she asked.

"Um…I uh, yes." You nod and she smiles, nodding.

"I'm glad she has you." She says and your heart breaks even further.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't do-"

"No, no, Brittany." Christine hushes, shaking her head while squeezing your hand, "It's no one's fault." She says, making point to give Santana a knowing look. She offers a watery smile in return, wiping under her eyes. "I'm glad I got to meet you."

"Me too." You whisper sadly, stepping back when Christine lets go of your hand, lifting it for Noah and Juan to come back inside. You back up and turn to leave when Christine tells you to stay and you look at her in surprise before looking at Santana unsurely. She just holds her hand out faintly for you to come to her side and you do slowly as Noah and Juan stand on Christine's other.

"I love you all so very much." She says to the three and they all say it back before Noah takes her off the machines.

You watch her as her eyes slowly close and take a breath, looking at Noah and Juan both looking down at Christine with red eyes before looking at Santana holding her hand over her mouth, eyes closed. You brush your hand against hers at her side and she links your fingers together before pulling you closer to her and leaning into your body as you wrap your arms around her, looking at Christine with tears of your own.

* * *

**A/N: ...1) I felt so bad while I was writing this. 2) It was a necessary- no I can't even say that, it was just sad and I feel bad for Puck, San, and Juan. *sigh* okay, so for those who said they wanted Brittany to meet Santana's family...well there was that, albeit it was an extremely short meeting. I don't know what else to say, the ending kind of put a damper on my mood...crap. **

**-B**


	40. Chapter 42

**A/N: And chapter 42 because why not.**

**-B**

* * *

June, 2015:

You are sitting between Quinn and Santana in the front row of the folding chairs as the funeral director stands in front of the closed coffin, a wreath with pink and white flowers resting on a stand off to the side while three white roses lay atop the oak coffin, one from Noah, Santana, and Juan.

"Christine Puckerman was a beautiful, kind hearted woman. A beloved friend, sister, mother, and aunt…"

You swallow roughly and wet your lips as you glance to your left, Santana sitting in her black dress, hair pulled up into a neat bun, and eyes downcast as her hands fidget in her lap.

It was three days since Christine passed and Noah was holding her funeral outside at noon below the bright sun rather than travelling to Chicago and holding it there seeing as there was no family there anyways beside Juan who said he'd rather Tia was buried where the majority of her family lived. It was a small service, only the three family members, the crew, some other friends of Noah, and a couple of Christine's friends Noah contacted, who flew out to say their goodbyes.

You look at Santana, her bottom lip pulled into her mouth as she takes a heavy breath, listening to the director as he goes on. You frown sadly when a tear escapes the corner of Santana's eye, and hesitantly take her right hand in yours, linking your fingers together as her head bows slightly.

She glances at you and you give her a small smile, caressing her thumb with yours.

"Now, I'd like to call up Christine's son Noah Puckerman, to say a few words." The director says before stepping back as everyone looks to Noah as he rises to his feet from besides Juan who is next to Santana.

You watch him walk up and behind the coffin and wet your lips as Noah closes the button of his suit jacket after pulling a folded paper from the inside pocket. He lifts his head and his eyes scan the small crowd sitting in front of him before he swallows roughly and wets his lips, unfolding the paper.

He takes a breath and you watch his shoulders fall before he speaks, "I'd like to thank everyone for coming today to celebrate my mother, Christine Puckerman's life."

Santana tightens her hold on your hand and you give a reassuring squeeze.

"My father ran out on us when I was three." He says, clenching his jaw while shaking his head, "So I never had a man to look up to. It was only mom and me."

You swallow as Noah wipes his eye with his thumb, sniffing.

"She never let that affect me and took on the role of both the mother and the father. She taught me the things you learn from your mother, and tried to do the same when it came to things I would've learnt from my father." He nods faintly, "She taught me to be patient. To be forgiving. Ambitious…and a lot more. She always encouraged me to follow my dreams and to ignore those who tried to bring me down and say I couldn't do it." Noah lifts his head, his eyes rimmed red and watering as he looks at Santana and shakes his head.

You look at Santana in confusion as she lets go of your hand, getting up to move to Noah's side.

You watch her link her arm with Noah's as he bows his head, and Santana takes his paper, swallowing before taking over for him.

"For many years it was just the two of us. Our family wasn't the largest, we only had my aunt and her family. When I was nineteen, my aunt and uncle passed away and were forced to leave behind their two children, Santana and Juan. They were still very young and with my mother and I being their only family, they came to live with us." Santana's voice cracks as she reads what Noah had written, and she glances at him.

"From that moment on she wasn't just my mother but she was a second mother to them as well. I was in my first year of university and when I came home I would see the way she would care for them just like she had with me. She took them in and loved them as her own and I could blatantly see how much they appreciated it and looked up to her the same way I had. She took care fo them exactly how she took care of me, trying her best to make sure they knew she was there for them and that they were being taught the way she knew her sister and brother-in-law would've wanted." Santana wipes under her eyes carefully and lets out a shaky breath before continuing, "We went from two families to one and it was like we all found something we never had before. My cousins became more like my siblings and they would call my mom 'mama'."

Santana turns her head to Noah, taking a pause, and you feel a tear fall onto your cheek.

Quinn places her hand on your knee and you give her a sad smile before looking at Juan, sitting with his arms crossed, and eyes closed, his head bowed as he shakes it faintly.

Santana continues the eulogy for the next few minutes as you watch and listen, clutching a tissue in her hand.

"Throughout our lives my mother would tell us that her dream was for me, Santana, and Juan to find that one person that we wanted to share our lives with." Santana says, hesitantly lifting her gaze to yours. You silently inhale sharply and lift your brows in slight surprise as Santana wets her lips before looking back down at the paper, "She would say: Mijo, or Mija in Santana's case, look after yourself and make your dream a reality because only then will my dream come true, and that dream is for you to be happy and find that one person who will make you fall in love with them all over again by seeing them smile. My dream is for you to find that so I know that when I'm gone you will have someone to take the pain away and take care of you when I no longer can."

Noah clears his throat, sniffing and Santana looks at him. He nods and smiles and Santana hands him the paper back before holding onto his arm and reading over it in her head as he finishes.

"_Our_ mother," Noah says, giving Santana and Juan a smile, "was an extraordinary woman, whose dream was for her kids to find happiness. I can safely say that I have. I may have yet to find that person but I have family and friends around me and I couldn't ask for anything better. And I'll never forget someone who has been the most important person in my life, nor could I have thanked her enough for everything she had taught and done for me. We love you, mom." He says, looking down at the coffin, "And we always will."

* * *

You hold your glass of sparkling juice with both hands as you stand with Quinn, Kurt, and Rachel at Noah's house, watching as he, Santana, and Juan stand together nodding and speaking quietly with a couple of Christine's friends who had flown in.

You wet your lips before pulling the bottom one into your mouth and give a tight lipped smile when she lifts her head with a forced smile, meeting your gaze. Her shoulders drop and she looks away from you, saying something before excusing herself and slipping from the group and outside onto the porch.

"What was that?" Rachel asks and you look at them after following Santana with your eyes, frowning in concern.

"I don't know." You sigh, "I'm going to go talk to her." You tell them and they all nod. You turn and walk towards the door, hesitantly opening the door and stepping out. You see Santana sitting on the steps of the porch and shift before going and carefully sitting beside her. "Hey."

"Hey." Santana says, lifting her glass to her lips while keeping her gaze forwards, watching a group of kids play street hockey.

You tap you glass nervously and swallow, looking back at Santana, "Are you okay?"

She lets out a sarcastic laugh and gives you a look before shaking her head, "I just buried my aunt who was basically a mother to me after my real mother died." She states with a bite and you flinch. "So you tell me," she says, looking at you, "Do you think I'm okay?"

You open your mouth before closing it, furrowing your brows as you struggle to find the words to say and Santana scoffs, looking back in front of her, "That's what I thought. You're a brilliant doctor, Brittany, so don't go asking stupid questions you already know the answers to." She says, her tone cold.

You look at her in hurt and shake your head, "Why are you being so rude?"

"I came out here to be alone for a while and you seemed to think that was an invitation for you to come and annoy me after you've been constantly at my side the entire day." She says in frustration, "So excuse me if I'm not pleasant." She snaps and you jump, leaning away from her while narrowing your eyes.

"I get that you're going through a rough situation-"

"God, Brittany!" she shouts in annoyance causing you to lean further away from her as she turns to look at you with hard eyes, "Just…" she begins, her eyes softening faintly as you look at her with wide eyes, "Just leave me alone." She says, getting up and walking down the sidewalk, standing in the front yard with her arms crossed.

You frown, blinking back the tears from her lashing you at you, and you slowly stand up and brush off the back of your dress before walking back into the house. You purse your lips and hold your arms around yourself as you walk further into the house.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Quinn asks when you walk into the kitchen, the three of them standing around Noah's island. "Britt?" she questions with concern at your tear filled eyes.

"Brittany, what happened?" Rachel asks as you stop beside Kurt. He puts his hand on your lower back, looking at you with a frown and you shrug.

"She blew up at me." You tell them, lifting your head as a tear falls and Rachel gasps, holding a hand to her chest as Quinn narrows her eyes, Kurt pulling you into a side hug.

"What do you mean she blew up at you?" Quinn asks.

"I went outside and asked her if she was okay and she just blew up. She was being sarcastic and then just completely rude and…I don't know. She didn't want me around her." You sniff and rest your head on Kurt's. "I don't get it. At the funeral she wasn't…but now it's like…" you struggle and just slump your shoulders.

"Maybe it's just now hitting her." Kurt suggests softly and you shrug.

"That doesn't give her the right to be rude and bitch at people." Quinn states firmly, "And especially to you." She says to you and you wipe under your eyes, blinking as you look to the side.

"I don't know." You say for the umpteenth time with a sigh, "I just thought she would've let me comfort her or whatever." You say, "I mean, we're…" you pause, glancing at the three of them looking at you intrigued, and shift, "We're kind of a thing I guess." You say more to Kurt and Rachel, Quinn already aware.

"Oh my god, really?" Kurt asks with a smile and you nod.

"Yeah, we had our first date Friday."

"Friday?" Rachel asks in confusion.

"Oh my god, you were on your date when I called you?" Kurt gasps.

"We just finished when you called but yeah." You sigh, "The past few days have just been confusing and stressful." You mumble.

The four of you shift into an easy conversation about your healing process when Santana walks into the kitchen. Rachel glances over your shoulder at her as Quinn narrows her eyes and you look behind you, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth as Santana shifts and glances at all of you.

"Everyone's leaving, myself included." She says more so to you, "If you're riding back with me…" she trails off and you give a hesitant nod before turning to the three of your friends, saying goodbye as Quinn just stares at Santana.

"Quinn," you say softly and she sighs, giving you a hug before moving to Santana, hugging her after Rachel pulls back.

You wait and then follow after Santana out of the house and to her car, where you slide in the passenger seat and buckle in; Santana getting behind the wheel and pulling away from the curb.

* * *

The twenty minute drive back to Santana's apartment was a quiet one. You didn't say a word, neither did Santana. You hadn't dared to turn the radio on.

You walk behind Santana as she takes the stairs rather than the elevator and wait as she unlocks the door, stepping inside. You follow suit and shush Chess gently when he runs to the door to greet you both, and pull him into your arms while glancing up at Santana as she moves further into the apartment, with her heels in her hand.

You kiss Chess's head before placing him down and stepping out of your heels. You bend, picking them up, and head to your bedroom, looking towards Santana's, her door left open. You watch her toss her clutch onto her bed before she unzips her dress and lets it slide down her body.

You pull your eyes away and move into your room, putting your heels in the open suitcase on your bed with your other shoes and a few pants packed away.

You were going to be moving back into your apartment tomorrow, after work, and started packing early this morning after having gotten ready for the funeral. It was time. You had already spent over a month living with Santana, and you didn't want to overstay your welcome. Especially now, it didn't seem like you should stay longer than necessary.

You grab sweats and a long sleeve to change into and rid yourself of your dress before changing. You put your dress in the suitcase and zip it up, pulling it off the bed, and set it at the foot on the floor.

You then quietly leave the room and head to the kitchen to make a tea, leaning back against the counter as you wait for the kettle to boil. Your head falls back and you close your eyes, opening them when you hear Santana step out of her room. You clench your jaw as you watch her move to the fridge, and lower your gaze to your feet as she moves around.

"Britt," Santana says quietly, stopping in front of you and you lift your head, looking between her eyes. You swallow and Santana steps forwards, wrapping her arms around your waist as she rests her head against your shoulder, "I'm sorry."

You relax and tilt your head so yours it resting against hers and return her hug.

"It's okay." You mumble and she shakes her head, keeping it against you.

"It's not. I shouldn't have blown up on you." She says and you nod.

"You shouldn't have, no. But I kind of get it." You say and she just lets out a breath as you hold her. "San?"

"Yeah?"

You hesitate, "Are you…you know, are you okay?" Santana tenses and slowly pulls her head back, looking at you with furrowed brows. "I just mean, you didn't really answer me before and-"

"I answered you." She says with an edge while pulling away from your arms.

"Okay, but I don't know how you're feeling because you just exploded on me, and to be honest you kind of scared me." You state with a frown, crossing your arms.

"It was my aunt's funeral and you asked me if I'm okay? Obviously I'm not, Brittany." She states, holding her hands out to the sides with narrowed eyes on you.

"You could've just said no."

"You could've used your brain and thought about what you were asking me before opening your mouth." She exclaims and you flinch, tightening your arms over your chest.

"You're blowing up at me again." You tell her and she throws her hands up.

"Because you're being completely idiotic." She shouts, running her hand through her hair let out of its bun, before turning and walking away. "God." She shouts, crossing her arms while pacing.

"Is it impossible for anyone to ask you how you're feeling, or is it just me?" you ask with narrowed eyes.

"It's common sense." Santana throws out, looking at you, "If your mother died and people kept asking you if you're okay-"

"I wouldn't blow up at them!" you interrupt her and she lets out a laugh.

"Yeah, right."

"I'm not like you. I don't resort to being rude and all bitchy-"

"So you think I'm being rude and bitchy?" Santana asks incredulously.

"Absolutely!" you say loudly, walking over to her, "And it's only to me. I don't get it."

Santana scoffs, rolling her eyes at you before walking by you. You turn and grab her wrist, pulling her back and she pushes you away from her.

"_Don't_ grab me."

"Well stop walking away from me." You exclaim.

"I can walk away from you whenever I want, Brittany." She argues, "And right now I want to."

"Why?" you ask with your eyes watering.

"I need time alone, god." She yells, spinning on you. "And I can't have that when you're always around me. You're smothering me and I can't fucking breathe!"

You flinch like her words physically hit you and take a step back as your heart clenches. Santana runs her hand down her face before tangling her hands in her hair and looking up.

"I'm just trying to be here for you." You tell her and she drops her hands to her hips, looking to the side. "You're trying to push me away and I don't know why." You tell her, folding your arms over your chest. You shift, wetting your lips, and glance up at Santana as she looks behind her before looking at the floor. "Why are you trying to push me away, Santana?" you ask.

She just looks at you sadly and shrugs, her blink making tears fall from her eyes.

"I'm not. Not purposefully." She says, her voice cracking. You go to walk over and comfort her but hold back and Santana notices, dropping her arms. "Don't stay away from me, Britt." She whimpers, crying quietly and you shift. "I can't lose you too."

You shake your head and move over to her, cupping her cheeks as you rest your forehead against hers, "You're not going to." You tell her firmly, holding back your own tears, and she nods while crying, her hands fisting the bottom of your shirt, pulling you closer to her.

"I'm s-sorry." She gets out and you nod, ducking down to kiss her.

"I know." You whisper, pulling her into a tight embrace as she clings to you.

* * *

**A/N: That was my first shot at writing a eulogy so go easy on me. I mean, I thought it turned out nicely but I don't know. Santana finally cracked and tried pushing Brittany away but that didn't really turn out well. Well, the end result turned out well but the pushing her away didn't. Okay, so let me know what you thought, and chapter 43 will be posted Friday. Also...okay, everyone...there are only 5 more chapters. We're coming to an end!**

**Let's be real though, I may throw in an extra chapter or two, but as of right now, what I have planned, 5 more chapters. Yikes! Anyway, hope you like the last two chapters, if not, my sincere apologies. Mwah!**

**-B**


	41. Chapter 43

**A/N: *Insert Friday song here* LOL, frick I hate that song. Okay, so here is your update as promised. I believe that after you all read this one, some of you will be excited because you're going to get something you've been asking for, for a long time now.**

**Hope you all like this one, mwah! Chapter 43!**

**-B**

* * *

July, 2015:

You walk into the hospital and smile faintly at the nurses and receptionist that smile at you first on your way to the elevator. It was a week after the funeral and everything was slowly getting back to normal.

Juan was staying with Noah until he has to head back to Chicago, and you moved back into your apartment after making sure things with Santana were okay. She seemed okay. And that concerns you. It's like she's putting up the tough exterior that you had managed to break down piece by piece. She wasn't blowing up at you anymore. You could see that once in a while she'd get frustrated over the smallest things like forgetting to plug in her coffee machine, or misplacing the remote, and tried to calm her down which seemed to work instantaneously, although leaving her crying in your arms whenever you were at her place.

She only let you see her broken side, and you don't know how you feel about that.

You let out a tired sigh as you hit the button for the fourth floor, leaning back against the side of the elevator as the doors close. You've been in your head too much and it was driving you insane. As much as you like to think about things and do those little challenging puzzles, you like being a carefree, outgoing person. But the last week…

"Ugh," you groan and straighten when the doors open.

You walk down the hall to the diagnostic team office and pull open the door, walking inside.

"Morning." Mike greets from the coffee counter with a smile and you return the gesture while grabbing your lab coat and pulling it on over your long pink long sleeve blouse tucked into your charcoal pressed pants.

"Morning." You reply while fixing the collar of the coat and pulling your hair over your shoulders. You glance around and towards Noah's office and frown, "Where are they? It's almost eight."

Mike shrugs as he moves to the table, pulling one of the chairs out while sinking down onto it, "I haven't heard from Noah in a couple days, and Santana-"

"Is right here." Santana says as you turn around to look at her as she walks in the room. "Morning, Britt." She smiles faintly.

You blush and smile, "Morning, Santana."

She scans her eyes over you while removing her black blazer in exchange for her lab coat, holding back a chuckle when you narrow your eyes playfully at her.

"Um, hello. Good morning, Santana." Mike says breaking the two of you out of your little private moment. Santana holds your gaze for another second before looking around you to Mike.

"Chang." She greets and you chuckle, giving her a look that says _be nice_, while moving to sit down. Santana fixes her lab coat as you watch Mike take a sip of his coffee, making a disgusted face before getting up and going to fix it. You look at Santana when she stands beside your chair with her hand on the back of it and arch a brow as she watches Mike before bending down and giving you a quick peck on the cheek.

You smile widely at her, wanting to pull her into your lap and kiss her, but Mike turns around, taking a tentative sip before nodding in approval and walking back over.

"Did Noah say something to you about being late this morning?" Mike asks and Santana puts her weight on her left leg, shaking her head while her hand stays on the back of your chair.

"No, is he not here?" she asks in confusion and you shake your head.

"No, and he's usually first to arrive." You tell her and she looks at you, "We haven't really spoken much since…" you trail off and catch the flash of sadness pass within Santana's eyes before she nods stiffly, opening her mouth.

She gets interrupted by the land line in the middle of the team table and you look at Mike before reaching over and hitting the speaker button. "You're on speaker." You say to whoever, resting your elbows on the table.

"_It's Schuester_." the Dean says in greeting and you glance at Santana and Mike who glance at you in turn, "_I'm assuming the three of you are all present?_" he asks.

"We are." Mike nods.

"_Perfect. I'd like to speak with you if you would all come down to my office. It should only take a few minutes of your time_."

"Of course." You say, "We'll be right down." You tell him before ending the call and looking at your fellows with a brow arched in question.

Mike shrugs and Santana shakes her head with her arms crossed, letting them drop as Mike leads the two of you out of the room.

"Any idea what this is about?" you ask Santana quietly as you walk side by side and she just shakes her head.

* * *

Mike holds Dean Schuester's door open and you and Santana walk in before him, looking at Schuester as he sits in front of a large window behind his dark oak desk. The walls are maroon and the floor an ugly beige. In front of Schuester's desk sit two, square, dark brown leather chairs. The wall to your right has a built in bookshelf stacked full of books while, to your right, sits an expensive looking couch with a coffee table.

You shift on your feet as Mike joins you and Santana in front of the desk, the Dean having yet to look up.

When he does, he removes his thin reading glasses, setting them aside before leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped in his lap.

He eyes each of you, lingering longer on Santana with an apologetic gaze, and you feel her shift beside you.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I've called you in here." He begins and you nod faintly with the others. Schuester nods in turn and gets up from the chair moving around his desk until he is standing in front of it and can lean back against its edge. "Dr. Puckerman informed me after his mother's funeral that he will be taking a break from work."

"Wait-"

"Excuse me?" Mike and Santana say at the same time while you just lift your brows in shock.

Dean Schuester nods and looks down, fixing the left cuff of his shirt, "Yes. I've granted him time off until he feels he is ready to come back." He states, lifting his head.

Santana crosses her arms, shaking her head while looking to the side.

"How long of a break are we talking here?" Mike asks.

"Could be a few weeks, could be a year." He states and you close your eyes as you shake your head in confusion, opening them again.

"So," you begin, "What's going to happen with our team?"

Schuester smiles and crosses his arms, "That's why I called you in here. One of you is going to have to step up and take over Noah's position until he returns."

The three of you look at him in disbelief and he just offers a tight lipped smile before moving back to his seat at his desk.

You're first to speak.

"I haven't even been here for a year." You say and Schuester nods slowly while sitting down.

"That is true but you did well with Christine Puckerman's case."

"I-" you shake your head and look down with your arms crossed, "I'm not ready to be put in a position with that much authority at the moment." You tell him and he nods in understanding before holding his hands out.

"It's between the two of you." He addresses Santana and Mike.

"I'm all for it when it comes to taking over a case when Puck is sick or away for a few days. I can't imagine doing it any longer than-"

"I'll do it." Santana interrupts him and you all look at her, her eyes focused on Schuester with her jaw clenched and head held high.

"Are you sure? You don't have any concerns you'd like to express as the others have?"

"You need someone to do it and I'd rather not have you bring in some random doctor from a different division whom I'll undoubtedly have an issue with telling me what to do. Yes, I have a few concerns but I'll deal with them." She says strongly as you watch her in awe with a hint of apprehension. You pull your gaze from her to exchange a look with Mike.

He looks at you knowingly and you both slowly look at Dean Schuester when he leans forwards in his chair, eyeing Santana carefully.

"Okay. Then you'll be the temporary head of Diagnostic Medicine."

* * *

"I don't know how I feel about this whole thing." Mike says as he comes over to you with two mugs in his hand, handing one to you before sitting beside you at the team table.

"Thanks." You say quietly as you take the mug, keeping your eyes on Santana talking to Juan in Noah's- in Santana's office. "I know what you mean." You tell Mike, watching Santana roll her eyes at whatever Juan says before hugging him.

A week has passed since Santana took over Noah's title and you don't know how you feel about it. Well you do. You don't think it's that great and Santana would never take over Noah's position. She said as much back in November. You know she's only doing this because of how much work it is and that it will take her mind off of her aunt. You understand how hard it is, having lost your father, but you also know that what she's doing isn't the best way to cope with it. And Santana knows how you feel about it.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_"Santana?" you call as you poke your head in the team office. You frown when you don't see her and step inside, looking towards Noah's office and your shoulders drop when you see Santana sitting at his desk shoulders deep with paperwork. You walk over and open the door quietly, knocking twice. _

_Santana lifts her gaze and gives you a faint smile before looking back at the paper in front of her, finishing up. _

_"Really?" you ask as you walk over to her, "You've been Head of Diagnostic Medicine for thirteen hours and you're already staying overtime?" you ask, sitting on the corner of her temporary desk as you watch her put the paper in a stacked pile before grabbing another file and opening it. _

_"I knew Puck never did the paper work on time but shit, some of these reports are months old." She says and you roll your eyes, closing the file in her hands. "What are-"_

_"Santana, just stop." You tell her with a knowing look and she furrows her brows, leaning back in her chair. "Why did you take the position?" _

_Santana arches a brow and holds her hands out, "Someone needed to and you and Chang weren't going to do it."_

_You study her carefully before wetting your lips slowly and looking down at your feet, "I lost a parent too. I know that throwing yourself into work seems like the easiest way to take your mind off of what happened but it's not." You tell her, flipping your hair over your shoulder as you lift your gaze back to hers. _

_She crosses her arms and looks to the side before glancing at you and you just lift your shoulders, "It may take your mind off of it for a while but when you finish everything that you were working on, the reality is just going to come back at you full throttle and it's going to hurt even more because you kept it locked away with your feelings. It'll overwhelm you and-" _

_"Britt, I get it." She cuts you off, putting her hand up before letting it drop down to your thigh as you look at her, "I'm not doing this to take my mind off of what happened, okay? I'm doing it because someone has to and I don't want anyone messing with our team's dynamic." She says, looking between your eyes as you purse your lips. "I love that you care so much but you don't need to worry about me." _

_You scoff and roll your eyes, grabbing her hand to pull her to her feet. She gets up with a smile and you pull her closer to you, "I'm always going to worry about you." You tell her and she tilts her head with a fond smile._

_"And I find that absolutely adorable." She whispers, lifting your hand while linking your fingers together. _

_You look between her eyes, biting your lip playfully, "So are you going to kiss me or just-"_

_She giggles and unlinks your fingers, cupping your cheeks to pull you in for a kiss, and you hum contently, holding the front of her lab coat. _

_"Now can I get back to work?" she asks cutely after pulling back a bit. You sigh dramatically and Santana pecks your lips again before caressing your cheek with her thumb. You stand up as she sits back at the desk and you hesitate before leaving; still not sure how you feel about everything._

_End of flashback_…

* * *

"She's throwing herself into her work." Mike mumbles and you blink out of your trance, looking back at Santana and Juan sitting at her desk, talking. "You should talk to her." He says and you arch a brow at him while lifting your mug to your lips.

"You don't think I already have?" you ask, "She'll just assure me it's not what I think it is and that she's fine, like she's done every other time." You tell him and he purses his lips in thought when Dean Schuester walks into the office with a tall brown haired man.

"Wonderful, you're both here." Schuester claps his hands together with a smile as you and Mike look away from the mystery man to your boss. He puts one hand on the man's back while holding his other out to display him, "I'd like you to meet Joel Matthews. He'll be a new addition to your team, filling Dr. Lopez's spot while she fills Dr. Puckerman's."

You look away from Schuester to Joel and meet his dark green eyes, sparkling at you. You watch as his lips curl upwards into a smirk and then glance at Mike who gets to his feet, holding his hand out.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Mike Chang." He grins politely and Joel chuckles, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mike Chang." He says with a British accent.

The door to Santana's office opens and Santana walks out with a look of question at the Dean and Joel standing in front of you, Juan must having left to head home.

"Dr. Lopez!" Schuester grins, holding his hand out for her to come forwards, "This is Joel Matthews. I had spoken to you about bringing in another fellow until Noah returns." He reminds her and Santana nods, eyeing him carefully before offering Joel her hand.

"Santana Lopez."

"Nice to meet you." Joel replies with a nod before glancing subtly at you and smirking once more. Dean Schuester starts talking to Santana and Mike gets up to head over to the small desk the fellows use in the corner of the office as you stand up to head over and put your mug in the sink.

"We," Joel steps in front of you before you can move forwards, ducking his head to meet your gaze and you straighten, "haven't been formally introduced." He grins charmingly and you eye him, "Joel Matthews, and you are?"

"Brittany Pierce." You tell him, watching with narrowed eyes as he lifts his head with a growing smirk, taking your hand in his while bringing it to his lips. You pull it away before he can kiss the back of your hand and he arches a brow with an amused glint in his eye.

"It certainly is a pleasure." He winks before the Dean calls him. Joel straightens and lifts his brows at your boss, smiling and following him out of the office so he can be given a tour.

You let out a breath and look at Santana, her eyes still on Joel as he and Schuester disappear out of your line of sight. She then looks at you and you exchange a silent agreement. You don't like him at all.

* * *

**A/N: Ooou, cue Jealous!Santana. You've been asking for it and Britt and Santana are already starting things up with moving forwards in there relationship so jealously isn't the reason she admits she has feelings for Britt. Yay!**

**So Santana's taking over Puck's position for a while so he can have his time. There won't be a lot of focus on him though, because after all this is a Brittana story, but mentions here and there like in this chapter. Next update will be Sunday! Until then, loves! **

**-B**


	42. Chapter 44

**A/N: Happy Sunday, loves! So after so many of you have wanted jealous!Santana, well, okay fine. :)**

**A quick Happy Birthday to StephaniieC! I hope you have an amazing day, love! Mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

July, 2015:

You hiss and quickly put down the coffee pot when you spill a few drops of the scalding liquid on your hand and turn on the tap, holding your hand under the cold water while letting out a huff. You lean against the counter as you turn your hand over so the water hits your palm as well, and jump when a hand touches your back.

"What's with you, jumpy?"

You look at Santana with a pointed look and she just smiles while grabbing a piece of paper towel, turning the water off.

"I spilt some coffee on my hand." You tell her as she lifts your hand, drying it off for you.

She hums, glancing up at you through her lashes and you wet your lips before holding your bottom between your teeth. She looks between your eyes with a growing smirk and you smile shyly.

"Don't look at me like that." You mumble softly and Santana's smirk turns into a soft smile.

"Like what?"

"Like…just how you look at me." You answer lamely and Santana laughs, holding onto your wrist as she tosses the wet paper towel in the garbage, "It's very distracting." You state and Santana's smile grows as she checks over your hand.

"Distracting how?"

"It makes me want to pounce on you." You deadpan and Santana snorts, glancing up at you before nodding for you to go sit down. "My coffee-"

"Go sit, Britt." She gently pushes you towards the table and you huff, moving, while she grabs a two mugs and pours coffee into them both. You smile affectionately when Santana makes you a cup the way you like it before she brings it over to you, sitting on the edge of the table beside you. "For you, m'lady." She says playfully and you roll your eyes fondly, thanking her. "So back to this whole _pouncing_ thing." She says with a wiggle of her brows and you laugh, shaking your head while lifting your mug to your lips.

"I'm sure it explains itself."

"Not entirely. You're going to have to educate me." She says, shifting to get more comfortable in her pencil skirt. She looks at you expectantly and you arch a playful brow, "Seriously, Britt, I have no idea what you mean. Define this term, pounce." She chuckles.

"God, you're impossible." You laugh and Santana smiles widely, watching you. You shake your head before clearing your throat and looking at her. "When I said it makes me want to pounce on you-"

"Mhm?"

You roll your eyes with a smile as Santana lifts her mug to her lips trying to hide her own, "I mean I want to fuck you." You state bluntly and Santana pert near chokes on her coffee, holding her hand over her mouth while you take a sip of your coffee with a pleased smirk of your own. "How's that for a definition?" you tease as Santana holds her mug on her lap, glancing at you.

"As straight forward as any." She says, clearing her throat again.

"You okay there?" you chuckle.

"I'm good, yeah." She shifts with pink cheeks.

"You're blushing!" you exclaim through a laugh and Santana rolls her eyes, shushing you. "Oh my god, Santana, you never blush." You whisper, proud of yourself, "I've seen you blush maybe twice." You beam and she glares harmlessly at you, grabbing your hand when you go to pinch her cheek. "Ou, want it rough?" you husk and Santana's eyes widen.

"Good morning, ladies!"

Santana drops your hand and you lean away from her when Joel walks in. You both look over at him while he pulls on his lab coat before he turns to face the two of you with his annoyingly charming smile.

"You look especially beautiful today, Brittany." He compliments, his hands in his coat pockets as he walks over. You feel Santana tense beside you and give her a reassuring look before getting up and moving to the sink, putting your finished coffee cup in it. "Doesn't she look beautiful, Santana?" he grins, tilting his head as he blatantly checks you out.

"She does." Santana says and you look at her as she stands up putting on her bitchy boss front. You only ever see that when Joel is around and flirting with you. You hide a smile at her jealousy which you find completely adorable before frowning when you hear Joel mention something about you helping him.

"Sorry what?" you ask as Santana crosses her arms, shaking her head.

"It's not Brittany's job to overlook everything you do. If you want to be a part of this team then you're going to have to learn to handle things on your own." Santana tells him firmly and Joel just lifts his shoulders.

"I'm still new to this whole process. You asked me to do something for Dr. Fabray who isn't even part of our department. I wouldn't want to screw anything up and I'm sure you're too busy with paper work to offer me a hand and Mike is in the clinic so that leaves Brittany." He states with narrowed eyes at Santana before looking at you with a grin.

"I'm sure you can handle it." Santana says lowly.

Joel eyes her before glancing to the floor, "With all due respect, I don't see why you're making such an ordeal over this." He says, looking at her as you walk over to her side. Santana clenches her jaw and Joel smirks, "Shouldn't it be the job of the expert to assist the novice?"

"Listen to me-"

"Santana." You shake your head to stop her and she looks at you, "He's right. We aren't working a case right now and if I don't help him I'll just be catching up on clinic hours." You tell her, ignoring how Joel smirks victoriously as Santana drops her shoulders. You give her a smile and she gives a small nod before glancing at Joel who holds his hand out towards the door, motioning for you to go first.

You withhold an eye roll and lead him out of the room.

* * *

You let out a sigh as you slump a little on the stool in the blood testing lab, holding your head in your hand as you stare at the computer screen running the tests. It had been an hour and a bit and you had explained to Joel what needed to be done to test the patient's blood for traces of cancer, only to find him staring at your breasts or backside whenever you looked back at him.

You were at the moment running a blood protein test, having decided to join Joel rather than watch him to get it over with quicker and be able to leave him and his irritating stares.

You tilt your head, squinting at the screen when Joel calls your name. You inwardly groan in annoyance and get up, walking around the table to his side where he was running a complete blood count.

"What's up?" you ask, looking at his screen as he turns on his stool to grin at you.

"I'm just missing your beautiful face." He says smoothly and you blink at him and nod before turning. "Woah, usually when a man compliments a woman she says thank you." He chuckles, grabbing your wrist.

"Okay," you say, pulling away from him. He lets go and drops his hands into his lap, looking at you, "First, never grab me. Just don't touch me. Second, enough with the flirting, Matthews, because I am not interested and it's completely unprofessional." You tell him firmly and he holds his hands up while getting to his feet.

"Of course. I apologize if I was making you uncomfortable, it's just being around such a gorgeous woman…you honestly take my breath away." He smiles, stepping closer and you step back, bumping into the outside counter. "You're extremely beautiful and someone should be telling you every day." He says as your cheeks warm as he tilts his head, regarding you.

You shake your head and clear your throat, "I think you can handle the rest of the testing by yourself." You tell him and he chuckles, lifting his hand to your cheek.

"Let's take a break from testing and-"

"Would you like to explain to me why you're not running blood tests and instead flirting with Dr. Pierce?"

Joel steps away from you as you let out a relieved breath at Santana's interruption. You move to the side, further from Joel, and Santana slowly walks closer, eyeing him carefully with her jaw clenched.

"I was just talking to her about-"

"Bullshit." She cuts him off coldly, stalking closer as you watch, "I could go to Schuester and have your ass thrown out of this hospital like that." She snaps her fingers and Joel swallows. Santana stops in front of him, you standing of between them. "God, it would be so easy, and so pleasing to watch, even more so than castrating you right here." She says with a pleased smile before it fades into a scowl and her eyes narrow at him again. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do any of those things."

Joel furrows his brows as he opens his mouth and Santana nods, "Nothing, huh? Well-"

"Santana, stop." You tell her, grabbing her arm when she goes to slap him. She tries pulling away from you and you hiss her name, tightening your hold as Joel stumbles back before retreating from the room. You let her go and she lets out a yell, taking a calming breath as you run a hand through your hair. "San, calm down."

"Calm down?" she asks in disbelief and you nod, "Calm down! Brittany, if I didn't come down here to see what the hell was taking so long who knows what-"

"We're in a glass room in a hospital, Santana." You remind her and she scoffs.

"That means nothing when barely anyone actually passes through this floor."

"Okay, but nothing happened. I'm fine and he's gone, probably scared shitless."

"Good!" she shouts, walking towards the door before pacing, "God, I should've beaten the crap out of him. I knew from the _moment_ Schuester brought him in that I didn't like him, that he was interested in you, _my_ girlfriend. I should've just fired his ass on the spot. I could've kicked his ass afterwards and-what?" she asks while doing a double take at you, smiling at her.

You wet your bottom lip before pulling it between your lips to hold back from smiling too widely as Santana shakes her head faintly in confusion.

"You said girlfriend." You tell her and her brows slowly raise as she takes a breath, letting it out shakily before nodding.

"W-well…yeah." She nods more firmly, "Yeah, I mean…yeah." She mumbles and you just grin and walk over, pulling her into a kiss. Her hands go to your hips and you take control, making her step back until she backs into the table in the room. She lets out a grunt and you bite her bottom lip, pulling back before panting against her parted lips as she does the same.

"You are so getting laid tonight." You whisper to her and her fingers twitch at your sides.

"Yeah?" she asks with a hint of a smile and you nod with a hum.

"Oh yeah."

* * *

"Hey…" Santana breathes when you open the door to your apartment.

"Hey." You smile widely, pulling her in.

"I brought wine." She says with a sheepish smile and you chuckle, taking it from her to put in the fridge as she moves further into your apartment, draping her jacket over the back of one of the stools. "Where's Chess?" she asks as you come out of the kitchen licking your lips.

"He's in the guest bedroom." You tell her and she arches a brow.

"Why?"

"Because if he saw you he wouldn't leave your side and if I tried to put him in there afterwards you would prevent me from doing so because you've grown to love him." You state and she smiles, shrugging.

"I have a way with dogs."

"You're scared of most dogs." You tell her, wrapping your arms around her neck as she rolls her eyes with a smile.

"Was scared. Chess opened me up to the possibility that not all dogs are monsters."

"That's nice, Santana, but we haven't had sex in months." You say seductively, looking between her eyes.

"But I brought wine." She says with wide eyes and you nod, leaning in.

"As romantic as that is, right now I just want you to take me to the bedroom and fuck me." You whisper before you're being dragged into your bedroom.

* * *

You land on top of Santana on the bed, moaning as your tongues battle for dominance. Santana's hands slip under your sweater and bring it up over your head, tossing it aside. You gasp when her hands cup your breasts, squeezing gently before she flips you over and straddles your waist.

You break the kiss and pull up on her tank top. She gets the hint and pulls it over her head quickly before removing her bra and leaning back down to kiss you.

Your hands roam all over her back and front before moving down to the button of her jeans. You undo them and Santana groans rolling off you to pull the skin tight jeans down her legs while you remove yourself of your shorts and panties.

Santana climbs back atop you and you both moan when she straddles your thigh; her center pressed against your thigh and vice versa. You roll your hips and she does the same, falling forwards as a wave of pleasure flows through both of your bodies.

You groan in pleasure and Santana holds herself up with her arms as you grind against each other. You turn your head, capturing her lips with yours, and kiss her deeply. She moans and you grind, running your hands over her abs. She flexes under your touch and you break the kiss, panting against her lips.

You take a sharp breath as Santana runs her hand up your side, brushing the tips of her fingers over your collar bone slowly as your grinding slows.

Santana runs her fingers lightly to your neck and proceeds to cup your left cheek, running her thumb along your bottom lip as you swallow, watching her eyes as they follow they focus on your lips. You smile sweetly at her and she shifts her gaze to yours before you turn your head and place a kiss to her palm, glancing back at her.

She lets out a breath and your smile grows.

"That moron was right." She mumbles and you furrow your brows in confusion as Santana looks over you, "You are so beautiful." She whispers as you stare up at her. Your heart beats strongly against your chest as Santana traces the faint scar before she looks back at your face with a smile.

"Kiss me." You tell her and she does exactly that.

You wrap your arms around her neck, holding her close as your lips move against each other's, and move a hand between your bodies to Santana's center.

You pull away from the kiss in confusion when Santana grabs your hand, and she shakes her head with a gleam in her eye and a hint of a smirk.

"You first."

God, it's like she's trying to kill you with all her sweet seduction.

You watch her as she places kisses down your body until she gets to your, embarrassing, dripping center. She looks up at you and you take a breath. Your body jerks the instant Santana runs her tongue flat through your folds and you throw your head back, letting out a deep moan, "Ohh, god…"

In your defense, your sexual frustration has had months to build up.

Usually you can hold out longer. It's a fact. Santana knows. Yet not even five minutes in of her going down on you and you're there, at the edge, grabbing at your sheets as you cry the Latina's name.

You pant as you release your hold on the sheets, bringing the balls of your palm to your eyes. You press down, your muscles still twitching. You wait for Santana to crawl back up your body and kiss you like she always did before, and frown when she doesn't.

"San?" you call quietly and hesitantly pull your hands away to look at her, "What?" you ask her as she just lays where she is, giving you a shit-eating grin with her eyes sparkling as she uses a finger to delicately clean up her chin and mouth. "Seriously, what?" you ask with a small, confused smile.

Santana wipes her chin and sucks on her finger before pushing herself up and crawling up your body.

"That's the first time I ever made someone squirt." She husks as your eyes widen, "It was incredibly sexy." She adds, kissing you deeply. What she said catches up with you and you pull back from the kiss, Santana going straight for your cheek and jaw before moving down to your neck as you try and push yourself up.

"I never squirt." You state firmly and Santana just chuckles against your neck.

"Apparently my sweet lady loving is just that good." She nips at your shoulder and you gasp in horror at the bit of moisture between your legs.

"Oh my god, Santana!" you shriek, pushing her away from you.

"What?" she laughs as she bounces beside you. You cover your face, wanting to just die, which you probably will, of embarrassment, and Santana pulls your hands away. "Britt, babe, relax."

"This is so embarrassing." You mumble, looking away from her.

"How is that embarrassing?" she laughs, "It was hot a hell. Such a turn on." She tells you and you give her a look. "I'm serious, Brittany. Highlight of my life." She smile sweetly and you groan, making her chuckle as she pulls you in for a kiss.

"Now you're going to think you're the better sex…person." You say slowly, testing out the title.

"Oh my god." Santana says, pulling her head back to look at you in disbelief, "Please tell me you're joking."

"I never made you squirt, obviously I suck!" you exclaim and Santana rolls her eyes, crossing her legs indian style before dropping her hands onto your leg closest to her.

"Britt, look at me." She says and you keep your gaze downcast, "Look at me." She repeats with a chuckle and you huff, looking at her. She studies you before shaking her head and kissing you. You furrow your brows as she pulls back, smiling, "You're an idiot."

"Oh, thanks for that pep talk, Santana. I truly appreciate it." You scoff with an eye roll and Santana snorts, patting your leg.

"Shut up and listen. You're an idiot if you think I will ever think I'm better than you when it comes to sex." She states and you shift, "You're fucking perfect, okay? God, no one even compares to you. Why do you think I wanted that whole friends with benefits thing in the first place? Besides the whole I-liked-you-but-didn't-want-to-admit-it part?"

"I don't know." You shrug and Santana gives you a pointed look.

"No one has ever made me feel the way I do when I'm with you." She tells you, "You're a fricken sex goddess! I mean, yeah, I know I'm pretty fricken amazing but damn," she chuckles as you smile faintly, "You are on a whole different level. So get that ridiculous thought out of your head, and don't be embarrassed about what happened, because seriously, hottest thing I've ever seen in my life." She states, nodding, and you chuckle while blushing. "So now that we got that out of the way…" she trails off with a hopeful smile.

"Did you think I forgot about you?" you ask and she shrugs.

"Well I was hoping you didn't but-"

"Shut up." You laugh as you push her on her back and straddle her waist, "I'm going to rock your world." You whisper seductively and Santana takes a breath, nodding slowly with a wide smile.

* * *

**A/N: And there it is. I'm being rushed to get ready to go for breakfast so I'm going to just leave this note short. Fav part of the chapter? Mine was probably the talk between Britt and Santana about her little...moment ;)**

**Until Wednesday! Mwah!**

**-B**


	43. Chapter 45

**A/N: I know I said Wednesday but oh my god, it's St. Patrick's Day! I got a lil' Irish blood running through my veins so it's basically a must. The Leprechauns will bite me if I don't update, I just know it. Shout out to everyone with some Irish in them, mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

September, 2015:

"Hey, Kurt." You greet as you hand the clinic receptionist your latest patient file. She smiles and inputs the data under your name as Kurt stops in front of you with a sigh. "What's going on with you?" you ask in amusement, looking at the receptionist when she lets you know you're good. You thank her and link your arm with Kurt's walking out of the clinic and towards the café.

"Sebastian and I had a fight." He groans and you nod your head slowly.

"Was it an actual fight or an argument that has you over reacting?" you ask knowingly and Kurt gasps, looking at you. "Oh come on, you know you over react, like a lot, when it comes to your fights." You tell him and he purses his lips. "So, what was it about?" you ask as you step into the café.

"He wants to buy this hideous couch and I-"

"A couch." You deadpan, stopping and pulling him to a stop as you look at him, "This is about a couch?"

Kurt doesn't say anything but offers a sheepish smile.

"You two are ridiculous. I don't know how one of you hasn't strangled the other in his sleep." You sigh and Kurt chuckles as you two head to a table where Quinn, Mercedes, Sam, and Santana are sitting. You smile when you see Santana and watch as she scrunches her nose when Sam does one of his impressions, making Quinn shake her head and Mercedes giggle like a school girl.

Santana rolls her eyes and looks away, her eyes finding yours. She straightens subtly and you tilt your head with a smile as you get closer.

It was two months since you and Santana became an official couple and things were going great. Better than you could've ever hoped for. She was just amazing and sweet and ugh…you fell more and more with each passing day. Well, you don't really now how much more you can fall because you've already admitted to yourself that you've fallen in love with her. You don't know at what point during the past few months but you know that you are. In love with her, that is.

The only itsy bitsy problem is that no one knows you're together. Quinn, Rachel, Kurt, and you're assuming one of them told Mercedes, know that you went on your date and then funeral but you haven't really been keeping them in the loop since then. You were more focused on just being with Santana as she was doing the same.

It's not like you're hiding it either, it's just there was never a good time. Santana having taken over Noah's position, she has been really busy when she was at work with catching up on his paper work and running the department. Quinn has been swamped with new patients, Kurt, Rachel, and Mercedes all get called to help all over the hospital and you, Mike, and Joel have had a lot of cases; not that they were that difficult, just that there were many of them.

September has just started and it's been more relaxed and the crew and those involved in Operation Brain have finally been finding more time to spend with each other during work and after hours. So maybe there will be a time soon where you and Santana can let everyone know.

"Hey," she greets softly with a smile as you stop beside her chair, resting a hand on it. Everyone else at the table greets the two of you and you smile.

"Hey, so what's going on? Another impression?"

"God." Santana grumbles with an eye roll, crossing her arms as Sam beams.

"Sean Connery. Do you want to-"

"I'm actually good." You stop him quickly and Santana, Quinn, and Kurt all chuckle as Mercedes clicks her tongue at you.

"Cedes, just because you want all up on those guppy lips doesn't mean _we_ need to endure his painful attempts at impressions." Santana states as you duck your head to keep from smiling, "Forget we, doesn't mean _I_ need to endure them."

Mercedes glares harmlessly at Santana and she just shrugs as Sam shifts with a grin.

"Okay, so I think since the crew has been totally swamped the past while and things around here are finally cooling down that we all get together this weekend or the next and do something fun." Kurt says and you scrunch your nose.

"By fun are you meaning anther dinner?" you ask and Kurt looks at you.

"What's with the tone? Everyone loves our dinners." He says and you just shrug.

"We don't do anything really fun. Like," you say, holding a hand out, "Why don't we go play laser tag or…I don't know, the beach?" you suggest.

"We haven't been to the beach as a group yet. In how many years." Quinn says in shock, looking around at all of you, "How is that possible?"

"Because all we do is drink and have dinner." Santana states, crossing her legs as she leans back in the chair. You glance down and play with a strand of her hair, making Santana glance at you and smile. You blush and let it go, focusing on Quinn as she speaks.

"I'm actually really down for going to the beach. It's going to be autumn soon, I say we do it." She says.

"I can show off my washboard abs." Sam grins and Santana rolls her eyes.

"When have you ever needed to be at a beach to do that? It's ridiculous." She state with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, and this can be Joel's first outing as part of the crew!" Sam grins and both you and Santana pin him with hard looks.

"No." you both say and everyone looks at the two of you.

"That asshole is not part of the crew." Santana states firmly.

"Why is that?" Quinn asks with an arched brow.

"Who the hell is Joel?" Mercedes asks in confusion.

"He's a total jerk and completely unprofessional." You tell them, "He's constantly hitting on me. I mean, how many times does a person have to tell you they're not interested before you get it through your head?" you ask with a scoff.

Santana nods, pointing at you in agreement, "Exactly. Plus he's not even here full term. The second I get word Puck is coming back, that toolbox is fired." She grumbles.

"Uh huh…" Kurt nods slowly before shaking his head and looking at the others, "So beach. This weekend or next?"

"I need sun as soon as possible." Quinn says and Sam nods in agreement as Santana rolls her eyes and pushes her chair away from the table a bit.

"This weekend. I needs to gets my tan on." Santana says as she gets up and you chuckle, "Now some of us have a job to do." She says with a pointed look at everyone at the table before walking by you. "Oh, Britt, do you have that patient file I asked you to get?" she asks after pausing from leaving, standing at your side.

You lift your head slowly, "I sent in the request form. I just have to wait for the approval, but I should have it for you before the end of the day." You nod and Santana smiles.

"Great," she nods before pecking your lips.

You look at her with wide eyes as she steps back and she looks at you with the same look before the both of you hesitantly look at your friends. They are all looking at you in shock and you glance at Santana when she clears her throat.

"So I'm going to let you handle-" she begins and you grab her hand before she can leave.

"No way," you say quickly, pulling her back and she grunts.

"What the hell was that?" Mercedes asks, pointing between the two of you.

You look at Santana and she rolls her eyes, "Britt and I are together. Have been since July. We wanted to tell you but everyone was busy and it never came up." She explains easily as you smile proudly at her.

"Wait, you're into chicks?" Sam asks you and you lift your brows as you lift yours and Santana's clasped hands.

"So now that it's out in the open I don't have to wait until later to admit that I voted for the beach this weekend to see you in a bikini." Santana smirks at you and you chuckle.

"Oh really? I kind of figured..."

"Yeah well, what can I say, you're-"

"Okay!" Mercedes exclaims, stopping Santana from finishing her sentence. Santana steps back, creating a more appropriate space between the two of you and you blush. "I'm really happy for you two but you're being all cute and it's disgusting, so, Santana, I believe you have work to do?" she grins playfully and Santana huffs.

"Whatever." She mumbles before kissing your cheek, "Don't forget the file." She reminds you and you nod, watching her as she leaves before turning to face the group.

"She's pretty amazing, right?" you ask dreamily as you sink down into Santana's chair.

* * *

"Yeah, I can't find it." You huff into the phone as you step back from the tall metal shelf, looking at all the cardboard boxes.

"_You're looking under the last name, so find the C's_."

You roll your eyes and cross your one arm over your chest as you hold the phone with your other hand, "No shit, Santana. I'm staring at the C section. I'm telling you, it's not here. Someone must've filed them wrong."

"_Britt, this hospital was built in nineteen twenty-seven and there hasn't been a misplaced file. I swear you're looking in the wrong place_." Santana says and you furrow your brows as you straighten.

"So it's my fault the file isn't where it's supposed to be?"

"_Oh my god. Brittany, just find it, please. I need it for our patient_."

You sigh heavily and look at the boxes before mumbling, "Fine," and ending the call. "Fricken Cale." You scowl. You pull out another box and place it on the ground, crouching in front of it as you lift the top off. You let out a sigh as you begin looking through the files, and pause when you hear the door at the end of the huge room open and close. You lean to the side and arch a brow when Santana turns the corner and throws her arms up before dropping them.

"Did you find it?" she asks and you drop your shoulders.

"I'm telling you it's not here." You tell her and she shakes her head. You can't help but shamelessly check her out as she marches over like a boss in her pressed pants and sleeveless blouse.

"Stop leering and help me find this file." Santana says, brushing her hand along your shoulders as she walks behind you.

You clear your throat and stand up, motioning your hand towards the C section, "I'm telling you it's not here."

"You're only saying that because you haven't found it." Santana says, stepping back and tilting her head to look at the labeling on the box you pulled down. She glances at you with a growing smile and shakes her head as she crouches, putting the lid on the box before getting up and putting it away.

"What are you doing?"

"Babe, its c-a-i-l." she says and you stare at her dumbfounded before you blush. "Looks like you weren't looking in the right place after all, hmm." She says teasingly and you pout, pulling down the correct box. You hold it for Santana as she takes the lid off, pulling out a file seconds after before putting the lid back on.

"Who spells Cale with an '_I_' anyway?"

"You know it helps to look at the emails I send you." She says with a twinkle in her eye and you push the box back into it's place. "I hope you know that you just wasted five minutes of my life." She teases, walking by you and you grab her arm, pulling her back and pin her against the shelving unit.

"Is that right?" you ask with a smirk and Santana's chest rises as she stares at you with her lips parted and eyes darkened with lust.

"Sex in the file unit, that's new." She breathes with a twitch of her lips and you chuckle while leaning in.

You stop and both you and Santana look up when a deafening alarm goes off overhead. You furrow your brows and look back at Santana as she narrows her eyes in thought.

"What's going on?" you ask as you keep you place against Santana.

Her eyes shift to yours and she wets her lips, "The Hospital's in lock down." She tells you and you lean back in shock before your lips slowly form a smirk.

"Then I guess we won't be interrupted?" you question and Santana hums with a growing smile, nodding in agreement as she pulls you into a kiss.

* * *

You nip and suck at Santana's neck as she moans and whimpers in pleasure and need, her blouse unbuttoned and untucked while you cup her breasts over her bra.

"Brittany…" she breathes, arching her back as she tangles her hand in your hair.

You smile against her skin and press an open mouthed kiss to her neck before resting your forehead against her shoulder and moving your hand down her pants. She whimpers and just before you can slip your hand under her panties you catch the sound of a quiet footstep and stop, pulling your hand out and stepping away from her while looking around the shelving unit.

"Brittany!"

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Santana hisses as she quickly buttons her top and tucks it back in. She pushes off the shelf and makes herself known to Joel, arching a brow with crossed arms.

His steps falter and he clenches his jaw while glancing between the two of you, "…and Santana."

"What are you doing down here?" she asks as you stand behind her, watching him over her shoulder.

Joel shifts and forces a smile, holding his hands out, "Apparently this is where the party is."

"I'll show you a-" Santana begins, starting towards him with a clenched fist.

"Santana," you say, and gently take her arm, pulling her back to you. She keeps her eyes locked on Joel in a glare and you step in front of her, turning your head to whisper. "Just ignore him."

"How can I ignore that son of a bitch when he clearly came down here because he knew I sent you here?" she asks, glaring over your shoulder. You lovingly nudge her head with yours and she glances at you, her cold stare softening.

"This place is huge." You whisper, "We don't even have to be near him while we're locked in." She lets out a calming breath and you smile, squeezing her hand before spinning around and facing Joel. "Obviously you can't leave because of the lock down but I _highly_ suggest you stay away from me, us." You tell him firmly before pulling Santana in the direction of the K's.

* * *

"I'm bored."

"You're always bored."

"That's not true. I'm not bored when we-"

"Babe, the creep could be lurking around the corner." Santana says and you narrow your eyes at her. She smiles and pulls her hand away from your mouth. You shift and rest your head back against her shoulder as she watches you play with her fingers in your lap.

"You've been doing that a lot. Calling me babe." You tell her and feel vibrations as she chuckles, your back against her chest.

"I know, it's weird."

"It's not weird. I like it." You smile, looking back at her, "Why do you say that?"

"I don't know, I've just never been one for those pet names."

"Babe is not a pet name." you state with a laugh, sitting up to turn and face her, "Dumpling is a pet name, as is snicker-doodle, my little sugar plum." You coo playfully making Santana scrunch her nose in disgust.

"Please don't call me that."

"I couldn't, I made myself cringe." You admit with a shiver. Santana smiles fondly and crosses her legs, holding her hands out to you. "What?" you smile.

"Just come here." She says sweetly and you carefully crawl over, minding your expensive pants and the floor. She leans forwards and you press your lips to hers, smiling as you pull back. "Ugh, I just can't get enough of you." She sighs contently, looking between your eyes as you blush.

"I know, it's quite disgusting."

"It is." She nods, leaning in for another kiss.

"So you two are an actual couple then."

"I'll kill him." Santana growls before you both turn your heads to look at Joel down at the end of the aisle. "Are you deaf or just an idiot?"

"I don't believe I'm either." Joel chuckles and you roll your eyes. "So when did you two get together? I'm actually quite surprised. I didn't know I was working with lesbians. Nor did I know lesbians could be so…alluring." He smirks.

Santana looks at you with a pleading look and you sigh.

"Listen up, you ignorant, egotistical, pathetic waste of skin," Santana begins, getting to her feet as you follow suit, dusting your pants off. "I have had it up to here with your idiotic commentary, beaver face, and excruciatingly painful attempt at an accent."

"Wait what? You're not really British?" you ask in shock as Joel looks at Santana in surprise and fear.

"If I have to tell you one more time to stay away from my girlfriend then I will fuck you up." She hisses as you arch a brow and lick your lips. Mean Santana always was hot. "And in no way am I _joshing_ _you_. I mean who even says that? But so help me god," She says, getting closer to him. You tilt your head watching as Joel crosses his arms, putting forth a weak attempt at holding his ground. Santana pushes him back and he stumbles, "I will not hesitate to fuck you up, and I mean go all Lima Heights on your ass."

You quirk a brow in confusion at the saying and lift a hand when Joel stumbles back again from Santana poking his chest.

"Do you understand me? Or do you need me to throw in a bullshit accent?" she questions and you hold back a laugh when Santana's phone buzzes.

An alarm sounds overhead and you glance up as Santana looks at her phone, before you grab the file and walk over to her, Joel walking away quickly.

"Whoa, Matthews, hold up." Santana calls with a smirk and you look at her in question as he turns slowly, "Your ass is fired."

Joel's face falls and Santana smiles victoriously while taking your hand and leading you past him and to the door of the unit.

"San, you can't fire him-" You whisper and Santana looks at you.

"Until Puck comes back." She nods, giving you a pointed look. Realization dawns on you and you smile widely. "Mhm!"

"Oh thank god!" you laugh, kissing her before the both of you retreat from the file room.

* * *

**A/N: "Ugh, I just can't get enough of you." "I know, it's quite disgusting." Heart motherf***ing eyes! This was such a fun chapter to write. Just them being together and all cute, with a hint of irritating Joel. Fun fact, I was going to name Joel's character Lincoln, but then I thought The 100, and I actually like Lincoln so Joel it was.**

**Also, apparently I don't know how to fricken count. Remember when I said 5 chapters left? What I really meant was 6, eheheheh...yeah, my bad. So now there is only like...I don't know 3 left, I believe. Gotta go get a burger, ;D**

**-B **


	44. Chapter 46

**A/N: I'm freaking out for two reasons...1st, because we're so very close to the end of this story and I hate it just as much as you all do, and 2nd, because this story has 1k+ reviews! Oh my god, guys! I don't even know what to say! When I saw it I was left speechless for a bit and then I was just smiling the rest of the day because of how much that means to me. Ugh, I don't even know, just kisses for everyone. Mwah! Mwah! And of course, Chapter 46. Enjoy! Mwah!**

**-B**

* * *

September, 2015:

"Ding dong, the bitch is here." Santana says and you shift your gaze from your suitcase to your bedroom door where Santana is walking in with Quinn rolling her eyes behind her.

"Nice." Quinn mumbles and Santana snickers, taking a seat on the bed beside your suitcase. "So, your flight is in two hours and you're still not packed?"

You groan, leaning on the suitcase while you zip it up, and let out a relieved breath when you get it, "I'm packed. I just had to throw in my toiletries. This one on the other hand doesn't seem to understand that if she isn't ready and in the car in the next twenty minutes, her ass is being left behind." You say, giving Santana a look. "God, you're not even dressed." You whine and proceed to go to your dresser and open Santana's drawers, pulling out some clothes.

"You wouldn't leave me." Santana says and you look at her and throw jeans and a loose tank top at her.

"Put them on." You tell her and she arches a brow. "Santana, I swear to god."

"Calm your tits." She chuckles and pulls your t-shirt off, pulling on the tank top before getting up to change her shorts for the jeans. You groan in frustration and grab your suitcase from the bed, pointing at Santana.

"Fifteen minutes and we're gone." You state and Santana waves you off.

Quinn lifts an amused brow and you shake your head, leading her out of your bedroom to the foyer. You put down the suitcase and grab your carry on from one of the stools of the island, checking to make sure you have the passports, boarding passes, and everything else you may need like headphones.

"So where's the dog?" Quinn asks while looking around for Chess.

"With his mother." Santana says, walking out of the bedroom holding the dachshund. Chess licks Santana's chin and she kisses his head before handing him to Quinn and pulling her hair into a ponytail. "See, I'm ready, with ten minutes to spare." She says to you with a sweet smile and you roll your eyes.

"Well you took your sweet ass time, didn't you?"

Santana chuckles and wraps her arms around your waist, hugging you as you keep your arms at your side, looking at Quinn.

"I'm not letting go until I feel you hug me back."

"Santana-"

"You don't want to miss the flight, do you, babe?"

"I hate you so much." You tell her, returning her hug and she smiles victoriously, pecking your lips three times before letting you go.

"No you don't."

"I don't know why." Quinn mumbles and you laughs softly as Santana shoots her a glare. "Seriously though, we have to go."

"Right." You nod and grab your carry on as Santana takes hers, putting it over her shoulder before taking both suitcases and nodding for you to open the door.

* * *

"…Welcome to Barbados."

You blow your bangs from your face and lean forward in your seat, pulling off your thin sweater as Santana unbuckles her belt, looking out the window, "It's hot as hades in here." You frown, leaning over Santana to look out the window.

The two of you watch as a team of four men roll a staircase towards the plane, hooking it up.

"This is so cool!" you squeal quietly, "I've never walked right off a plane before. It's like we're celebrities getting off our private jet."

"Our private jet we happen to share with another hundred and fifty passengers." Santana adds, looking at you. You roll your eyes with a smile and kiss her cheek.

"Come on, my mom and uncle are supposed to be picking us up." You say, and get up, stepping out into the small aisle. You reach up and retrieve your carry on as well as Santana's, and hand it to her before you lead her off of the plane.

You smile widely as you carefully walk down the stairs and nod in greeting to the men at the bottom welcoming everyone who gets off.

"Okay, where do we go now?" Santana asks, letting out a breath when she comes to your side. You look around and see a group of passengers walking over to a shuttle and take Santana's hand, pulling her along as you jog over.

You and Santana manage to score the last two seats on the shuttle and sigh happily, smiling at each other as the driver starts off towards the airport.

* * *

"Welcome." The black woman behind the security desk says with a blank face and you arch a brow and nod with a small smile.

"Thank you." You say and take back your passport and papers, walking past the desk and to Santana who is standing a few feet away, looking around while holding her carry on, her hand wrapped around the handle of her suitcase. "She didn't seem very happy." You mumble quietly when you get to your girlfriend, in case someone hears you and drags you away. Santana looks at you and glances to the woman behind the desk, viciously stamping the passport of another tourist, and nods slowly.

"I know, I'm pretty sure she hissed at me as I walked by." She whispers, leaning closer to you. You giggle and Santana cracks a grin.

"Are you hungry? We can grab something from one of the stores." You suggest and Santana scrunches her nose.

"We're in Barbados and the first thing you want to do is eat something from a package?"

"Shut up." You laugh, grabbing her arm as the two of you start walking to the gate pick up. "You're right though; mom would give me a whooping if she found out we did that."

"Mhm, and I'm sure we'll be stopping to eat soon. Unless you're actually really hungry." Santana says while looking at you, "We can get something small to tide you over if you want."

"You're so cute." You say fondly and kiss her. Santana smiles and returns the gesture, moving her free hand to your waist.

"No, no, no! None of dat right here." You and Santana jump apart as the older Barbados native waves her hands at you, shaking her head, "You go. Go to ya own private quarters, nah." She rants with her accent and you lift your brows.

"Oh my god," Santana says quietly with wide eyes, taking your hand and pulling you away from the lady while you laugh and follow your skittish girlfriend.

* * *

"Brittany!"

You look behind you with your arms crossed as a white van pulls up to the curb, your mother beaming and waving happily from the passenger seat on the left as your Uncle Stewart smiles from behind the wheel.

Santana leans to the side to look at them and lifts a hand with a smile, making your mothers smile widen even further if that is possible.

"Hi, mom." You smile as she hurries to get out of the van. You hug her tightly and she kisses your cheek before stepping back and cupping your cheeks, looking over you. You glance at Santana with a blush as your mom coos over you, before letting out a laugh when she moves to Santana to do the exact same.

"I'm guessing the two of you are no long just friends as you both told me?" she asks knowingly and you roll your eyes.

"No, mom. We're together, officially."

"Way to sound so excited, Britt." Santana snorts and you smile, leaning over to place a lingering kiss to her cheek.

"That lady could come back!" Santana says quickly and you laugh, placing a quick kiss to her lips before pulling back and beaming at your uncle, now standing by the van with a curious smile.

"Uncle Stewart!" you say happily and run over.

"Ah, Britty-Bee." He laughs, lifting you off the ground as you hug him. "Oh, oh, I shouldn't do that, I'm going to break my back one of these days." He winces and you widen your eyes as you pull away, checking over him. "I'm just messing with you." He laughs, swatting your hand from his shoulder.

"Uncle." You frown and he chuckles, looking past you to Santana. You take a breath and look back at her, taking her hand to pull her closer as she shifts by your side. "San, this is my uncle Stewart. Uncle, this is Santana; my girlfriend." You introduce the two and Santana smiles nervously, holding her hand out.

"It's nice to meet you, Sir."

Stewart laughs softly and takes Santana's hand, shaking it gently, "Call me Stewart, or Stew, even Stewie; whichever you please. Also, the pleasure is all mine. Now I know why Britty-Bee's been staying in Seattle." He smiles and you look at Santana with a smile as she lets out a relieved breath.

"Alright, we should get going to the hotel and grab a late lunch, I'm sure you are both starving." Susan says, squeezing your shoulder and you nod.

* * *

"Oh my god…" Santana moans.

You arch a brow and hold back a chuckle as you watch her drop down onto the bed, spreading out like a starfish on her stomach with her face in the pillows.

"Babe?" you ask, a hint of amusement in your tone.

"Hmph?" she hums, not moving. You snort and walk over, brushing her hair away from her face so you can see her. She peeks an eye open and you smile.

"We have to meet everyone in less than an hour." You tell her softly and she groans loudly and turns her head away from you, hugging a pillow. You smile widely and poke her side. She grunt and flinches away from you, lifting her head and glaring at you. "Come on."

"Britt, I'm tired."

"So am I but who thought it would be a fantastic idea to join my family for golfing? Not me." You remind her and she purses her lips, glancing away from you. "You're too much of a lesbian." You tease and Santana gasps.

"Golf is amazing." She states and you nod skeptically.

"You hit a ball with a metal stick. It's like every other sport."

Santana drops her jaw and scoffs before grabbing your arms and pulling you down on top of her while rolling onto her back. You giggle and run a hand through your hair as you look down at her, keeping her arms wrapped tightly around your waist.

"Golf is all about skill and calculation." She says and you hum.

"Is that right?" you nod slowly, feigning interest.

Santana chuckles and nods, "It is. It's more challenging than those other savage sports." You wet your lips as her hands slide under your shirt, running up and down your back lovingly. "And when you win, you get ultimate bragging rights. Anyone can throw a ball into a giant hoop or hit a small puck into a big ass net. It takes much more skill to be able to hit the small ball into a small hole."

You lift both your brows in amusement and Santana nods, looking at you with a serious expression, "And the clothing is just wow." She says, widening her eyes comically with a playful smile.

"You're such a loser." You laugh and Santana joins in while you climb off her. "I'm serious though, we need to be at the front in an hour."

"An hour." She nods, pushing herself up so she is sitting on the bed. You look at her as she picks at the bedding, looking at you through her lashes, "So do we have time to…you know." She wiggles her eyebrows and you bite your lip to hold back a smile while looking down.

"I don't know. You're kind of lame." You say, glancing up at her and she stares at you incredulously before crawling to the edge of the bed. You squeal and run out of the bedroom as Santana runs after you, and laugh as Santana wraps her arms around you from behind, managing to pin you against the living space wall.

"I'm so not lame." She breathes, lifting her gaze from your lips and you hook your fingers into her belt loops, pulling her closer for a kiss.

* * *

You sit in the back of the golf cart and watch as Santana adjusts her sunglasses before lining up her swing. You have been watching her, your uncles Stewart and John, three cousins Parker, Chris, and Trevor, and granddad Phil play for almost two hours now and they were just past half way. Golf was so not your game. You do appreciate the wardrobe though. Santana looks absolutely adorable in the white shorts, pink polo, and white visor.

"Nice one, Lopez!" you hear Parker praise as Phil claps Santana on the shoulder after she lowers her club. You watch her smile and laugh with the majority of the boy in your family and smile proudly as she steps back and stands with your cousins, watching Stewart take his shot.

The cart shifts and you look to the passenger seat, smiling in greeting at your cousin Katelyn, Trevor's sister and Stewart's daughter, only a few years younger than you.

"Your girlfriend is getting along great with everyone." She says and you nod with a smile.

"I know, I'm so glad. She was really nervous when I asked her to come along and meet everyone, but they love her." You chuckle, looking back towards the group and catch Santana make a comment that has everyone laughing.

"You struck gold with that one. Remember Carl?"

"That asshole from your third year of university?" you ask with narrowed eyes as you recall the tall, lanky jerk.

"Yeah, he couldn't even make one of the men smile and there is Santana making them all look as though they're going to soil themselves." Katelyn chuckles and you laugh with her. Your laughter subsides just as the group starts heading back over to you and the carts, Santana smirking at you.

"See that? I'm kicking ass." She says, taking her seat next to you while keeping her club in her lap.

"You don't have bragging rights yet, Lopez. Just you wait." Trevor says as he slides in behind the wheel. Santana snorts and turns to look at him as Parker gets in the passenger side, Katelyn having returned to her cart with her father.

"What's the score as we speak?" Santana asks knowingly. Both boys are quiet and Santana looks at you with a wink.

* * *

You and Santana walk hand in hand into the restaurant and quickly spot your family sitting off to the side, laughing and having a blast. You squeeze Santana's hand and lead her over, waving a hand when everyone notices your presence.

"Ah, the champion has blessed us with her presence." Granddad Phil beams as you and Santana sit down between Susan and your aunt Lucile, the mother of the soon to be bride, Taylor.

"You beat the boys?" Taylor asks with a smile and Santana shifts, shrugging. You smile at her all flustered under the stare of everyone and kiss her cheeks.

"Your girl's a winner, Britt." Alex, Parker's brother, chuckles.

"Damn, do I know how to pick them or what?" you beam and Santana groans in embarrassment. "Come on, San, what was that you were saying about kicking-"

"I never said anything like that." She says quickly and you snicker, dropping her hand onto her knee as you reach for your water with your other hand. "But I mean, yeah, I was on fire today." She grins cheekily and everyone laughs and you chuckle, shaking your head fondly.

"So how did the two of you meet?" your aunt Martha asks and you glance at Santana while lowering your water. She looks at you and you swallow, nodding.

"We work together, so we met on Brittany's first day at the hospital." She says and you nod, looking at Martha.

"So was it love at first sight?" Taylor asks with a grin and you wet your lips as Santana's lips part.

"Uh," Santana chuckles awkwardly, "I wouldn't say that." She mumbles and you shift.

"Santana kind of hated me-"

"What!" she exclaims in disbelief, turning to face you, "I did not _hate_ you." She states with a laugh and you lift your shoulders.

"The first day you told me you weren't there to be my best friend, and made it perfectly clear you didn't like me." You stated and she drops her jaw.

"_Actually_, I believe what I said was that I was there to do my job and help the patient, not become your new best friend, which is what you seemed to be focusing more on." She holds her hand out before looking around the table, "I mean, come on, our patient couldn't feel his legs and she's playing twenty questions."

"You said you didn't want to hear anything I had to say-"

"Unless it was about the patient-"

"And not completely idiotic!"

"Seems logical enough." She shrugs before looking at Taylor, "Did I mention she called me a bitch." She nods and you widen your eyes.

"I didn't call you a bitch."

"Pretty much."

You groan in frustration and turn to face her, "You told me I wasn't right for the job."

"Well when someone wants you put your patients life in their hands based on trust, that kind of sets off warning bells." She argues in defense and holds up a hand, "You seem to forget that I was the one who defended you at the end of the case when Puck was threatening to fire you."

"Oh please. Everyone knows you don't fire your doctor for saving someone's life. It's common sense." You roll your eyes, sitting properly in your chair as Santana scoffs, crossing her arms. You take a sip of water and the both of you lift your gaze from the table, looking around at everyone looking more than amused with what just occurred.

"So this was a slow burn relationship obviously." Taylor states and both you and Santana exchange a glance before shrugging.

"Well when Brittany had her accident and I visited it was clear the two of you had feelings for each other." Susan says and you glance at her before picking up the menu. "Anyone who had eyes would have thought they were a couple."

"Yeah, well we weren't." you mumble.

"If you liked each other then why not?" Alex asks with interest.

You look pointedly at Santana and she tenses, hesitantly meeting your gaze before she lowers her water.

"Oh damn…" Alex says quietly, looking between the two of you, "You weren't together because of Santana?"

"Mhm." You nod and Santana huffs, "I told her how I felt but she claimed she didn't feel the same way. We were just friends."

"You used just friends?" Parker snickers and Santana narrows her eyes.

"No, no, she said she liked me, but only platonically."

"Way to make me sound like an ass." She says and you shrug.

"You were."

"Then why did you like me?" she asks in frustration and you roll your eyes.

"Because despite of your asinine behavior and blatant lies, I knew you felt the same way." You say, looking at her and her shoulder drop as her eyes soften before she glances down to her lap.

"Yeah well..." She mumbles and you smile softly.

"You two are so gross." Katelyn comments and everyone laughs.

"Okay, okay, so when did you actually become official?" Taylor asks with a smile, resting her chin on in her hands as she looks between the two of you.

"Oh see that was me." Santana smiles proudly, "I called her my girlfriend first."

"Called me her girlfriend." You repeat, looking at everyone pointedly, "She didn't ask me. She just threw the title on there after a coworker made her jealous."

"If I remember correctly you were pretty happy when I said it." Santana says and you wet your lips, shrugging. "Okay, this jerk kept hitting on her and as Susan said, anyone with eyes could see that something was going on between us. So he manages to convince Brittany into helping him run blood tests for an associate and then he basically pins her against a counter and tries to make a move." She explains and you nod slowly, patting her thigh lightly.

"And then Santana came in and chased him out with his tail between his legs before ranting about how she should've beat his ass for flirting with her girlfriend." You finish for her, smiling at her lovingly as she mumbles under her breath, flustered. You giggle and kiss her cheek, resting your forehead against shoulder as she rests her head against yours for a moment before the waiter comes to the table.

When he leaves you look at Taylor and lift your shoulders, "So, any more questions?" you ask playfully and get a laugh from the family as Santana blushes and glances at you.

* * *

**A/N: Writing Brittana banter is probably one of my favorite things. Or any banter really but between Santana and Britt it's the best. I just love that throughout the story I somehow managed to keep them themselves, you know? Throughout the story they've both been those strong, stubborn doctors, always pushing each other's buttons, and even together they're still the same. I don't know. It's just pretty cool because this story has turned out exactly how I've wanted it to which is a first. So back to the countdown...2 chapters left. Sunday, and then I'm thinking I'll just post Tuesday rather than Wednesday because why should you wait three days? **

**So until Sunday, loves! And thank you again for the 1k+ reviews?! Still blows my mind. Mwah!**

**-B**


	45. Chapter 47

**A/N: Holy crap, okay, one more chapter after this...eeeek! I'll save all the mushy stuff for next chapter *softly weeps* But until then, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**-B**

* * *

September, 2015:

You sit on the edge of the bed with your legs crossed, bent over as you grab your heels from the floor. You straighten your back and slip on your silver heel. You re-cross your legs the other way to slip on your other heel, flipping your hair over your shoulder as you straighten.

"Britt, can you zip me up?"

You look towards the bathroom door and your lips part as you stare at Santana as she walks out of the bathroom wearing a form fitting pink strapless dress, her arm holding the front of it up in front of her. Her hair is pulled up in a formal, messy bun, strands of hair purposefully falling from the bun around her face, with a white flower against the bun.

She stares at you with her eyes enhanced by her smoky makeup, and smiles shyly when you breathe out a 'wow'.

You nod and stand up, brushing your hand down your light blue, v-neck dress, Santana racking her eyes over you as you do so. You beckon her forwards and she moves in front of you, turning her back to you so you can carefully zip her up. You smile faintly and let go of the zipper, placing a kiss to her shoulder before she turns around.

"You look gorgeous." She says sweetly and you blush faintly, smiling.

"So do you."

She hums in thanks and laces your fingers together, pulling them behind her back to bring your forwards. You chuckle together and you lean down, pecking her lips twice before resting your forehead against hers.

"I like your hair like this." She says, taking a small strand of your wavy hair between her fingers.

You grin and nod, "I know; I have for a while."

She leans back, narrowing her eyes at you.

"Hence why I wear it like this as much as I can." You smirk, kissing her before you pull away altogether to look at your phone. You subtract the time difference, the time set for back in Seattle, and you nod.

"How long until it starts?"

You look back at Santana as she goes to the bathroom, checking over herself while putting in some stud earrings, "About half an hour. Uncle should be down waiting for us by now." You tell her, grabbing your clutch. She nods and gives herself one last once over while you roll your eyes fondly, "You look perfect, San."

She smiles widely at you as she walks over with a knowing smile, "Let's get moving, cutie." She says, smacking your butt playfully on her way out of the bedroom. You wet your lips before biting the bottom with a smile, following her.

* * *

"…you're not only my lover but you're my best friend and I couldn't wish for anyone better than you to spend the rest of my life with."

You pout, watching the adorable exchange of vows between Taylor and Gerrard, and look at Santana.

She's sitting to your left watching the ceremony in front of you with a faint tilt of her head and a small smile.

Your pout turns into a soft smile as you watch her watch your cousin and her soon to be husband finish their vows.

God, you are so in love with her. Even the way she moves her lips faintly with the officiant as he tells the couple they may now kiss makes your heart swell.

You blink quickly, flinching slightly when everyone erupts into applause, and follow Santana's gaze to Taylor and Gerrard having their first kiss as husband and wife. You smile and get to your feet as everyone else does, and clap happily as Gerrard and Taylor walk back down the aisle beaming and laughing as the people at the end of the rows throw white flower petals over their heads.

Everyone waits until the couple is inside the country club, before you start to walk after the couple from the beach.

"Oh weren't the vows just lovely?"

You look to the side as your mother grabs your arm, holding on as you walk along the sand, and you nod with Santana.

"They were beautiful." She smiles softly, lacing your fingers together, "Especially when Taylor said that bit about not fully understanding love-"

"Until she met Gerrard" they both finish and you arch a brow with an amused shake of your head.

"What are you shaking your head about?" Susan swats at your arm and you frown playfully, pulling away from her to grab Santana's arm while still holding her hand.

Santana laughs softly, squeezing your hand.

"I just didn't realize you two were best friends." You say and Susan clicks her tongue with a fond eye roll before calling out to your aunt Martha up ahead and hurrying over to her. You wince, reaching out when she almost topples over, and groan, returning your hand to Santana's arm as you continue to follow the family into the club.

"Did you enjoy the vows, babe?" Santana asks and you hesitate before nodding, only remembering the bit of Taylor's, your attention always somehow drifting back to Santana. "You're such a liar." She laughs, and you pout, caught.

"I know, but you just looked so sweet while you watched them!" you whine, Santana shaking her head with a chuckle.

"Come, let's get us some drinks." She winks, holding the door open for you with a playful courtesy. You gasp, playing along, and hold your clutch to your chest, blinking bashfully at her. "Come on, dork." she laughs, grabbing your hand.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please help me welcome, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Gerrard York!"

You stand up and cheer along with your family and the newlywed couple's friends, laughing when Taylor and Gerrard come dancing into the open reception room. "Yeah, get it, Tay!" you call and she looks at you, pointing while nodding. You point back at her and Santana laughs, throwing her head back.

Everyone calms down as the couple sit at their table, and you follow suit as everyone sits back down, your table consisting of Santana, Katelyn, Trevor, Parker, and Alex.

"So who's doing the toast?" Trevor whispers in question and you hold a hand up, shaking your head.

"I don't do speeches." You say as waiters come around, placing open bottles of wine on each of the tables.

"Britt, how many improv speeches have you given Puck?" Santana asks knowingly and you roll your eyes, lifting your glass for Parker to pour you some wine.

"That's different." You tell her pointedly and she shrugs innocently.

It turns out the only people who gave a toast, after the best man and maid of honor, were your Uncle Henderson, Taylor's dad, and Gerrard's mother. They were quick and sweet and made Taylor cry while you chuckled along with everyone during the stories.

The MC, one of Gerrard's friends, got up and called the newlyweds to the middle of the floor for their first dance and you shift in your chair, smiling at Santana.

Keith Urban's "Only You Can Love Me This Way" starts to play and you click your tongue, looking at Santana.

"I love this song." You tell her and she smiles, holding your hand as you watch your cousin and her new husband sway back and forth on the dance floor. You sing along quietly with the music and tilt your head to the side a bit when Santana leans forwards.

"You're so cute." She whispers after kissing your cheek and you smile widely.

The song comes to a close and Taylor and Gerrard slow to a stop as everyone around them claps, smiling. They return to their seats and the MC announces the food will be coming out.

* * *

You lower your glass as Katelyn gets up to dance with a friend of Gerrard's, and arch a brow with an amused smile when she sticks her tongue out at you. You shoo her away and look to the side when Santana gets up, turning to you.

"May I have this dance?" she asks cutely and your heart skips a beat. It is your first dance together. You let her take your hands, and she leads you to the floor, sending you a wink as she faces you.

The DJ was playing good music so far, the current song being Chris Brown's "New Flame".

You put your hands on Santana's waist, pulling her closer to you as she wraps her arms around your neck, moving her body with the beat.

_"You gon' be my baby, love me, love you crazy. Tell me if you with it, baby, come and get it…"_

Santana slides her right hand to your shoulder as her left hand remains at the nape of your neck while the two of you dance closely together.

Your lips twitch into a smile when Santana lifts her gaze from your lips, her own parted slightly before she runs her tongue over them. She bites her bottom lips with a smile and you shake your head slightly with a smile while continuing to dance for the rest of the song. The music comes to an end and you and Santana separate with a more wedding appropriate space between you.

A familiar beat reaches your ears and you cheer along with the rest of you family as they every one still sitting in your family gets to their feet and moves to the dance floor.

"I don't get. What's with the swarm?" Santana asks as the intro to the song continues.

"It's the Boot Scoot'n Boogie!" you say happily and she furrows her brows. You drop your jaw. "Please tell me you know what I'm talking about."

"Sorry…" she smiles apologetically and you gasp as you watch everyone sway with the music, getting into position.

"_I go flying down that highway, to that hideaway, stuck out in the woods, to do the boot scootin' boogie…"_

"Follow my lead." You tell her with a wide grin, taking her hands to pull her until she's standing beside you.

You nod at her as the chorus kicks in, and squeeze her right hand with your left before dancing along with everyone else on the floor.

"_Yeah, heel toe dosey doe, come on, baby, let's go boot scootin'_!" You touch your right heel to the floor in front of you twice, then the left, before touching your right heel out, your left, and your right again. You glance at Santana as she stumbles to follow your quick movements while giving a little kick with your right foot, stepping and turning to the right so you're facing Santana. She looks at you with wide eyes as you laugh, grape vining to the right before grape vining to the left. You put your left hand on your hip and your right over your head like you're twirling a lasso while taking two steps forward and four small jumps back before repeating the routine.

"_Woah, Cadillac, black jack, baby meet me out back, we're gonna boogie_…"

"Jesus…" you hear Santana mumble under her breath while trying to keep up with everyone moving in sync.

"_Oh, get down, turn around, go to town, boot scootin' boogie_!"

You continue through the rest of the song, bursting out laughing half way when Santana manages the first couple of moves, turning the wrong way and bumping into Parker who glares harmlessly at her.

* * *

You cheer as Taylor dances over to you and Santana with her hands up, stopping to do the robot between you as Denice William's "Let's Hear It For The Boy" plays in the club. Everyone was up out of their seats dancing to the last song of the night and just going hard.

Taylor holds the front of her dress while trying and failing to do the moon walk over to her mother and father, and you snort as Santana laughs, stepping closer to you.

"_My baby might not be rich, he's watching every dime! But he loves me, loves me, loves me, we always have a real good time…"_

"And maybe he sings off key, but that's alright by me, yeah, cause what he does, he does so well, makes me wanna yell! Let's hear it for the boy!" you sing along, pointing at Santana.

She dances with her hands over her head, singing along with you.

"_Maybe he's no Romeo, but he's my love and one man show, oh, oh, oh, ohh, let's hear it for the boy!_"

Santana wraps her right arm around your waist and holds her left hand up to her mouth, holding an invisible microphone the same as you, and the both of you sing to each other with huge smiles.

Katelyn and Taylor come back over to dance with the two of you and Gerrard soon does as well, dancing with his wife, everyone forming together to dance around the happy couple as the song start to come to an end.

You dance with Santana, singing to each other, and go through the cliché, silly dance moves like the shimmy and the Bernie.

* * *

You walk into your hotel room before Santana and she closes the door behind her while you stretch your arms above your head, letting out a small yawn. It was 2am, Barbados time, and the wedding ended half an hour ago. It was amazing. So fun, and you're so glad Santana was there to make it that much better.

Santana sighs as she follows you into the bedroom of the hotel suite and you collapse backwards onto the bed, pulling a fond chuckle from her.

"Did you have fun?" you ask her, turning your head as she moves to the bathroom, flicking the light on.

She looks back at you with an amused smile and nods, "It was amazing. Probably the best wedding I've ever been to." She tells you. You smile widely. "Your family knows how to have a good time."

"That they do." You nod, sitting up with a groan to remove your heels. "Is it bad that I kind of don't want to leave? Just stay here and take on a new identity so I don't have to go back? I can just relax on the beach every day." You sigh with a smile.

"Not at all." Santana laughs, "I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn't mind spending some more time with your family either. I can kick more ass at golf."

"You have another game tomorrow." You remind her and she hums, nodding while you stand and remove your dress. You fold the dress once and place it on the dresser before grabbing a thin, oversized t-shirt, pulling it over your head after removing your bra.

You walk over to the bathroom, Santana washing her face, already having brushed her teeth and removed her earrings and the flower. As you pass behind her you kiss her cheek lovingly and she smiles while rinsing the face cloth.

You go about cleaning your own face and brushing your teeth while Santana removes the bobby pins from her hair, running her hand through her locks once they fall down to her shoulders. You watch her in the mirror as she pulls all her hair over her left shoulder before leaving the bathroom, and you keep your eyes on her. She manages to unzip her dress and lets it pool around her feet before picking it up and draping it over the little bench at the foot of the bed while strutting towards her suitcase in only a thong.

You spit the paste out of your mouth, rinsing with water and glance back at her as she changes into boy shorts and a sports bra.

You flick the light off when you leave the bathroom and move to the bed, climbing on it before dropping onto your stomach next to Santana. She lifts her head a bit to look at you and you smile tiredly.

"You want to have sex?" she asks quietly and you slowly smile.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah…Too tired?" she asks after a beat and you hum, nodding.

"Yeah."

"Thank god." She breathes in relief and you snort, dropping your head onto your arm as you look at her. "Wanna cuddle?" she asks sheepishly and you nod. She rolls onto her back and you shuffle closer to her, resting your head on her shoulder with your arm laying across her stomach, your left leg thrown over hers.

The both of you let out content sighs as she absentmindedly caresses your arm reached across her.

"It really was a nice wedding." You mumble tiredly, your eyes fluttering closed.

"Beautiful." She agrees gently as you focus on the rise and fall of her chest. "I really liked the table set up."

"Hmm."

"And the center pieces. Like how they had it as a square glass vase with that picture of them inside. It was clever."

"It was." You mumble.

"It was a good idea. I don't think I'd want that though."

You furrow your brows and squeeze her around the waist, "What do you mean?"

"I saw this idea for a wedding center piece a few years ago. It was like a silver vintage candle lantern with flowers surrounding it and everything…it was really nice."

You smile and tilt your head up to look at her as she continues to stare up at the ceiling, "I never knew you were one of those girls."

"One of those girls?" she questions with furrowed brows, looking at you.

"You know," you say, pushing yourself up on your elbows so you can face her properly, "That have been dreaming of their wedding since they were like twelve."

Santana purses her lips for a moment before wetting them and shrugging, "I'm not. To be honest I never even cared about weddings, I couldn't have cared less to even get married."

You frown and tilt your head, "Well that's…kind of sad. But you thought of that center piece."

"Maybe I can just see myself going through all of that now."

"All of…"

"Getting married. Having a wedding and all that. A family, I don't know." She mumbles, looking down at the blanket between the two of you as you smile softly at her. "I just, I can picture it. A small intimate wedding in courtyard or something. I picture trees. Like behind that arch thing." You watch as she smiles faintly, picking at the blanket, "It'd be in the autumn, the beginning, so it's not too cold but the leaves are already turning red and orange. And I'd definitely consider honeymooning here." She nods firmly while you wet your lips.

"Sounds like you have a plan."

She chuckles softly and nods.

"I'm totally invited right?" you ask teasingly and she lifts her gaze to yours while you smile, "I call maid of honor, Quinn can just be the first bridesmaid. I'd throw a killer bachelorette party."

Santana arches a brow at you before shaking her head, "You wouldn't be my maid of honor, Britt."

"Well then I call dibs on flower girl."

"This whole idea only works if you're the other bride." She states and you lift your brows in pleasant surprise before smiling softly as Santana nervously bites her lip.

"Really?"

Santana nods, "I can see us getting married. One day. Maybe."

"Don't throw a maybe in there just because you're nervous about what I'm going to say, Santana." You chuckle and she rolls her eyes with a twitch of her lips. "If you asked there's like a ninety percent chance I'd say yes." You tell her while reclaiming your spot, snuggled against her side.

"Only ninety?" she frowns.

"Well I'd have to know if you loved me." You tell her.

"I wouldn't ask you to marry me if I didn't love you, Britt." She chuckles.

"Is that right?"

"Of course."

"What about right now?" you ask hesitantly and Santana swallows.

"I just told you that I can only picture being married and having that lifestyle if it was with you." She says, "I think that's a pretty clear sign that I love you."

Your heart quickens its pace as your tummy flips and flops, a wide smile forming on your face.

"Like…"

Santana chuckles, pulling her head back. You look up at her and she bring her hand to you cheek, kissing you deeply and passionately before slowly pulling back until your noses were just touching, "I'm in love with you. Madly, deeply, and truly in love with you, Brittany. Only you." She whispers and you melt.

"I'm in love with you too." You breathe with a smile, "God, I have been for so long." You laugh softly as Santana nudges your nose with hers. "Are you still tired?" you ask hopefully and Santana laughs, shaking her head. You beam and straddle her waist. "Say it." You say and she smiles up at you while linking your fingers together.

"I love you."

"Again."

She giggles and looks up at you with pure love showing in her eyes, "I love you, so very much."

You sigh, "One more time."

Santana flips your positions and leans down, kissing you softly before pulling back, "I love you." She whispers, repeating those three words over and over between kisses.

* * *

**A/N: Well this whole chapter was just fluffy adorableness. My fav part was Santana talking about her wedding and how it would only happen if Britt was her bride, because aw! And then of course, Britt talking about being flower girl because she doesn't want to assume things, lmao, oh Brittany. And FINALLY! The I love you's that you've all been waiting for! Whoop whoop! **

**Now, moving on to a more serious subject...a sequel. Guys, what the heck! You actually want a sequel that much?! Sheesh, I don't know, I'll have to think about it for a bit. **

**Another thing, I have a question. OKay so given Adventure, Horror (Not like...pure gore), and something more realistic like real world like Procedure's type of genre, which would you prefer to read as the genre of the next fic? I have three ideas but it all depends on whichever you'd prefer to read so let me know: Adventure, Horror, or Realistic? is that the proper term? Anyway! It's up to you.**

**-B**


	46. Chapter 48: Final Chapter

**A/N: This is it. The last chapter. I just want to thank you all for the follows, favorites, reviews, and just taking the time out of your day to even read my story. I wrote this for myself, like I do all of my stories, just to see if I'd read it, and then to have so many people enjoy it as much as you do is absolutely amazing! I want to thank all of those who managed to make me laugh and smile like a complete fool just by reading what you wrote, and for my silent readers ;) I love you too, mwah! It was just amazing so again, thank you.**

**Here's the last chapter, Ch. 48! Enjoy, loves, mwah!**

**p.s. at the top of the chapter where it shows the date, just keep that in mind, there was a few months time jump. I don't know if you guys keep that in mind or not lol okay go read!**

**-B**

* * *

November, 2015:

"Brittany," Quinn huffs, "what the hell is in this box?"

You look behind you as Quinn and Rachel carry a large cardboard box after you, and chuckle when Rachel shouts Quinn's name.

"You're dropping it!" Rachel shouts and Quinn groans, adjusting her hold on the box.

"Just a few books." You tell them and they both send you disbelieving stares when you stop in front of Santana's door. "They're my old university textbooks." You mumble, shifting the lighter box in your arms so you can knock.

"Textbooks. Why the hell do you still have them?"

"I know, my university bought them back." Rachel states, "I only got about sixty percent back what I spent on them, which now that I think about it is ridiculous. I spent hundreds on those books!"

"We all did, Rach." Quinn huffs, rolling her eyes as she leans closer to the door, "Open the god damn door, Santana! This shit is heavy!"

You chuckle and lift your hand to knock again.

It has been five months since you and Santana became official and you are permanently moving in with her! You are so excited too. A few weeks ago when you and Santana were laying on your couch in your apartment, watching HGTV, Santana's guilty pleasure, somehow you got on the topic about the stereotype of lesbians moving in together after the first date. It was actually you who mentioned it and Santana had looked at you in amusement as you talked about it before she suggested you move in with her.

It didn't take you long to agree before pinning her down and starting a make out session that lasted about twenty minutes.

So for the past week you've been moving things from your apartment to Santana's, while selling some of your no longer necessary furniture, only bringing over the chair your mother gave you, your kitchen stools that Santana loves for some reason, your TV, and a few other big ticket items. It was pretty awesome how quickly you got rid of your other stuff. You never thought Craigslist worked that well. Oh how wrong you were.

You hear Santana call for you to hold on a moment and shift, shaking your head with a smile at Quinn and Rachel who groan and glare at the door.

You never really thought about it but now you're wondering why Santana wasn't helping you. Sure you only have a few boxes left to transfer, only the five in your car, but isn't that what girlfriends do?

You purse your lips as you look back at the door in question and smile faintly when Santana opens the door.

"Hey!" she beams, leaning in for a kiss.

"Move out of the way, Lopez! Your kissing can wait!" Rachel says quickly, pushing her way through the two of you with Quinn hurrying along so they can put the box down.

Santana looks away from them and back at you in question.

"They're carrying my university textbooks." You shrug and she scrunches her nose.

"You still have them?"

"I don't like throwing books away! Who knows, maybe my child will want to study medicine." You shrug and she just rolls her eyes fondly while stepping forwards. You lift your brows when she puts one hand on your waist, pulling your closer, and smile while closing your eyes as she leans in. You trap her upper lip between yours and suck lightly, humming when her tongue pokes out. You open your mouth and then pout when she pulls back with a teasing glint in her eye. "You're evil."

"I haven't even gotten a hello yet." She laughs and you smile, leaning in for a quick peck.

"Hello." you whisper as you pull back. She chuckles and takes the box from you, stepping back to let you in.

You walk into the apartment, and smile at Chess laying on your grey chair.

"Surprise!"

You jump and let out a small scream, spinning around to face the kitchen where the crew is now standing with their arms out, beaming at you.

Sam, Mike, and Noah blow on those party noise makers and you look around in confusion as Santana walks over, putting the box next to the couch.

"What's going on?" you ask, pulling your gaze from your friends to look at Santana.

"It's your homecoming party." She smiles and you tilt your head, your lips curling up into a grin.

"My homecoming?" you ask playfully and she nods when Kurt comes bounding over, linking his arm with yours.

"It was my idea, before Santana takes credit for it." He says with a smile before giving Santana a pointed look.

"Oh whatever, Hummel!" Santana laughs, "This was so my idea."

"Was it really your idea?" you ask her and she throws her hands up.

Kurt laughs and lets go of your arm, "It actually was." He says as Santana goes to the kitchen, glaring harmlessly at you both. "I didn't know she could be so corny." He whispers.

"It's adorable, isn't it?" you smile fondly, looking at Santana as she nods along with whatever Sam is saying to her. "So! When does that party start?" you ask, skipping over only to stop behind Santana and wrap your arms around her waist.

"After the boys bring up the rest of your boxes." Santana smiles smugly and you chuckle, resting your chin on her shoulder as you bat your eyelashes at the boys.

Mike, Sam, Noah, and Sebastian all groan and put their drinks down, mumbling under their breath as they head down, "You too, Hummel."

"Uh, bitch, I just got a manicure." Kurt says with a scoff.

"Uh, bitch, I don't care. You have a dick, you do the heavy lifting." She snarks back and Kurt rolls his eyes before following the other boys.

"You know, you should be bringing in some boxes." You say with a grin and Santana narrows her eyes as you slide away from her to stand by her side.

"Why is that?"

"Because you're my girlfriend. Isn't that what you're supposed to do?" Santana blinks at you and you lean closer, resting your forearms on the counter, "Plus it'd be hot." You shrug.

She shifts and wets her lips, watching you as you move to Quinn and Rachel sitting on the couch with Mercedes and Mike's girlfriend, Tina.

"She looks like she doesn't know whether to follow you over here or run downstairs and bring up every box herself." Mercedes whispers once you pick up Chess and sit in your chair. You glance over to Santana as Chess gets comfortable on your lap, and smile in amusement as she looks at the door.

"I swear you have her wrapped around your finger." Quinn says with a laugh and Santana snaps her gaze over to the four of you with a scowl.

"Shut it, Fabray. At least didn't let Britt cuff me to a bed and do whatever she wanted; aka-"

"Santana!" Quinn cuts her off in horror.

"Quinn!" You exclaim in shock and amusement, "And Rachel, I would've never pegged you as the dominant." You say slyly as Quinn blushes deeply, glaring at Santana who just snickers with Mercedes and Tina. Rachel just bites her lip to hold back a smile, patting her girlfriend's knee in sympathy.

* * *

"Are you having fun?"

You tilt your head back and Santana smiles down at you from behind the couch. You smile widely and lift your hand, pulling her head down for an upside down kiss. She chuckles as she straightens up and you turn around to face her, your knees on the couch.

"I am. Thank you for this." You say.

"You're welcome." She says quietly with a smile. "So you don't think its lame?"

"Oh, it's extremely lame." You nod seriously and Santana frowns, "But the good lame." You smile sweetly, tilting your head as Santana scoffs lightly.

"There is no good lame." She states and you arch a brow.

"There is so, now come and play!" you smile with excitement, turning around to resume playing Monopoly. Rachel shifts over to give Santana space between you. She drops down beside you and you beam at her, explaining your place in the game.

"Why don't you upgrade to a hotel on boardwalk?" Santana asks and you nod slowly.

"I was going to give Quinn boardwalk for her three-"

"Don't give away boardwalk! Why would you do that?" Santana gasps and you shrug.

"Because then Quinn will give me her three lots."

"Nope. No. If two people land on boardwalk you'll get triple the amount as you would if they landed on those railways." She says, shaking her head.

"This is why we didn't invite you to play!" Quinn hisses and Santana rolls her eyes.

You frown at Quinn and shake your head and she huffs, mumbling under her breath as she puts away her three railway cards, "I'm guessing you've played this together?"

"Q's just pissed because I always kick her ass and leave her bankrupt." Santana smirks smugly and Quinn scowls as you chuckle and lean back into her side.

"You guys can split my money and property, I don't want to play anymore." You say and Quinn, Rachel, Mike, and Sam all go for your game winnings as you chuckle, resting your head on Santana's shoulder.

"Why don't you want to play anymore?" she asks with a frown as you watch Quinn growl at Mike and yank your boardwalk property from his grasp.

You sigh and look at her, "I'd rather just relax with you and watch." You tell her. She smiles and you tilt your chin upwards. She leans down and presses her lips to yours and you smile, sliding your tongue into her mouth.

Your right hand remains in your lap as your left travels to the bottom of Santana's sweater, gripping the fabric with a fist as you pull her closer.

She moans quietly and you chuckle softly against her lips, making her smile and lean forwards to reclaim your lips.

"Really? Keep your tongues in your own mouths, you animals!" Kurt shrieks from the kitchen island.

You pull away from Santana, looking over her shoulder at Kurt with a playful glare.

"Hey…" Santana whines quietly, cupping your cheek while leaning back in.

"San!" you squeal, her other hand squeezing your waist. She beams, her eyes sparkling with mischief. You hum and let her pull you back in as everyone groans, feigning disgust.

"Screw off, it's our apartment." Santana states with a victorious grin as you giggle and keep yourself from falling back against the arm of the couch. You look at the group playing monopoly and stick your tongue out. Santana catches your childish behavior and laughs, pecking your lips before getting off the couch.

"Where are you going?" Quinn asks quickly as Santana pulls you to your feet. She sends a suggestive wink back to Quinn while leading you to the bedroom and you widen your eyes. "Ew, are you serious?"

"I'm so serious." Santana says and you laugh, moving in front so you're pulling her along, and yank her into the bedroom.

"We'll keep it quiet!" you call back teasingly and Santana snorts while kicking the door shut.

* * *

You step out of yours and Santana's room and walk out to the kitchen, holding back a laugh when everyone looks at you with scrunched noses.

"You two are so disgusting." Mercedes states and you let out a laugh as you stop behind the couch, resting your hands on the back of it.

"Oh relax." You tell her.

"I thought only one was supposed to be loud?" Tina whispers to Kurt in question and you arch a brow before following Kurt's gaze to Santana coming out of the bedroom, running her hands through her hair with a pleased smirk.

You roll your eyes at her and catch the playful glint in her eye before you turn back to everyone.

For the record, you didn't have sex. Not with everyone here because that's just weird.

You did however lie on the bed and moan softly, watching Santana hold in her laugh as she watched and waited for her turn. The both of you had almost ruined it but bursting out laughing many times. You could hear Quinn, Kurt, and Mercedes groaning and yelling at you to shut up and stop.

It was just too good.

Of course you made out a bit but it's not like you could restrain yourself from doing that in the first place.

"We're all adults here." Santana says, dropping her hands lazily onto Kurt's shoulders.

"Santana Lopez, get away from me!" he shrieks and almost trips over his own feet trying to get away from her while she just laughs and holds her hands up. You chuckle, shaking your head and watch Santana touch Mercedes's hair.

"Oh hell no! Girl, you better wash your hands before you come near me."

"Okay ouch, I don't have a disease, guys." You laugh as Santana holds her stomach, hunched over laughing. "We didn't even do anything."

"We heard you." Rachel says and you roll your eyes, leaning forwards to moan by her ear. She tenses and you bite your lip to keep from laughing as Mike, Tina, Noah, and Sam chuckle in amusement, Sebastian holding a hand over his mouth as his eyes water from laughing. "The both of you are perfect for each other." Rachel says calmly, lifting her drink to her lips.

* * *

"I'm so glad we did this!" Kurt says as he tightens his arms around you. You wince and groan.

"Release, Hummel, release." You get out and he lets you go quickly, "You're stronger than you look." You tell him suspiciously and he chuckles with his big grin. "But yeah, it was a good night, wasn't it?" you smile, looking towards the rest of the group saying their goodbyes while pulling on their coats; Santana rolling her eyes as she gives in to Rachel for a hug.

"It was." He nods and you look at him, "I haven't told you how happy I am for you."

"What do you mean?"

"You've just been really good with this whole situation. Our mission." He nods with a smile and you lift your head in a slow nod.

"Right." You chuckle, "Operation Brain."

Kurt leans back against the island as you wave goodbye to half the crew, Quinn, Rachel, Noah, and Sebastian still in the foyer.

"I told you it would work." He says, "And I was right. You got your girl."

"Hmm, yeah, it just took how many months." You shake your head with a fond smile as you glance at Santana. She looks at you when Quinn nods and you and Kurt head over.

"Who cares how long it took, you're together."

"You're right. And I couldn't be happier." You admit, stopping beside Santana with a bounce. She eyes you with an amused smile and you wrap your arms around her waist as the remaining crew members leave.

Sebastian waves one last time before closing the door behind him and you and Santana sigh before looking at each other.

"I say we clean tomorrow." You say and she nods.

"I completely second that notion."

You roll your eyes fondly at her words and head to the bedroom, looking back over your shoulder when you reach the door, "You coming?" you grin suggestively and she glances to the floor before looking back up with a smile.

You slowly walk backwards to the bed as Santana moves towards you, and you giggle softly, wrapping your arms around her neck as she pulls you into a kiss.

You move backwards to the bed and you sit down, Santana straddling your lap as you kiss.

"Mmm," she moans, gasping when you move your hands under her shirt to rest on her stomach. You smile and she smiles in return, pressing forwards to lower you to the bed, "What's Operation Brain?"

You freeze and open your eyes, Santana looking down at you with her eyebrows lifted in amusement.

"Operation Brain?"

"Yeah, you know, that thing you and Kurt were talking about just now."

"I wasn't talking to Kurt just now." You say, "I was kissing you just now." You grin and she laughs, pulling back.

"Nice try, Britt." You whine, trying to hold on as she wraps her fingers around your wrists, pulling your hands from under her shirt, "Come on. Spit it out." She sits back against the headboard and you huff, pushing yourself into a sitting position.

"Why do you want to talk about Kurt while we're in the middle of our sweet lady kisses?" you pout.

Santana gives you pointed look and you huff, running a hand through your hair.

"First promise me you won't judge."

"Britt-"

"Promise me."

"Fine!" she laughs, "Okay, now tell me."

You clear your throat and shift, feeling your cheeks heat under her inquisitive stare, "Kurt came up with it, not me." She nods. "Okay, so when Kurt found out I was into you, like back in October-"

"October!"

"Santana, I love you but if you want to know the story…"

"Okay, okay, sorry, continue."

"So when Kurt found out I liked you he came up with Operation Brain." Santana leans forwards and you roll your eyes with a smile, "I believe his exact words were '_you can't call winning over Santana, Operation Lopez_.'"

"Wait, wait," Santana chuckles, "Operation Brain was your code name for getting with me?"

"Not for _getting with you_." You rolls your eyes, "For winning you over. Helping you get your head out of your ass to see that you were into me too."

"Yeah, okay." She snickers, looking at her hands before her brows furrow, "Wait, why Operation Brain?"

"We couldn't call it Operation Heart because that's more obvious." You shrug and Santana blinks before cracking up laughing. "San, it's not funny!"

"Britt, babe, it's freaking hilarious." She laughs and you grab a pillow, hitting her with it. "Oh my god, this is too funny. Hey, I have a story for the next family gathering!"

"No way." You hit her again and she grabs your arm, tackling you to the bed, "Quinn, Mercedes, and Rachel were in on it too." You tell her and she snorts, brushing her hair from her face as she looks down at you.

"So you needed a team to win me over."

You blush and she looks between your eyes with a smile, "Quinn bought a whiteboard." You admit quietly and Santana drops her forehead to your chest, giggling. You feel her shake against you and you shake your head, watching her with a wide smile.

"Wow…" she sighs, lifting her head. You blush and she just looks at you softly, "Well it worked. You won me over."

Your blush deepens and you groan in embarrassment. Santana presses a kiss to your jaw and pushes herself off of you, laying on her back at your side.

The both of you lay comfortably for about ten minutes, your eyes fluttering closed as you hear the little clicks from Chess's dog tags in the guest bedroom, when Santana breaks the silence.

"Marry me."

You furrow your brows and shift, leaning away from her as she turns her head to look at you.

"W-what?"

"I want to get married." She says. You pull yourself into a sitting position and stare at her as she pushes herself up on her elbows.

"Santana…"

"Just-hear me out." She says, sitting up. You wait as she moves to sit directly in front of you and you let her take your hands into her lap. "We've only been together, officially, for four months so there won't be a wedding for a while but…Britt," she smiles with a nervous laugh as you stare at her, speechless, "Since the moment I saw you…there was this pull. I was just better at hiding it than you."

You chuckle, looking at your hands before glancing back up at her, "But after that first night we spent together the pull got even stronger and it was harder to act like I didn't feel something for you. Even when we weren't together, we were together; without us knowing. Ending up together was kind of inevitable. We, _us_, we're inevitable. I don't think we could avoid it even if we wanted to, we're just…we fit, you know?"

You nod slowly, still not quite understanding what is happening.

Santana wets her lips, staying quiet for a moment before she looks at you with a soft smile, "I know that you're the only one I want to be with. There's no one else in the world-universe that I'd rather be with. Only you. I want to marry _you_. And buy a cozy little house. Have a family. I want to grow old with you and move to Florida like old couples do. Maybe Barbados. We can live in a senior's complex. One on a golf course because you'll definitely know how to play by then." She chuckles and you bite your bottom lip to keep from smiling too widely as you tilt your head lovingly at her. "I don't even care where we are." She sighs, "I just want to be with you. If you'll have me, that is." She finishes quietly, looking at you through her lashes.

You swallow and wet your lips, looking down at your hands.

"Okay." You sigh with a smile, looking at her. Santana lifts her brows and your smile grows as you flip your hands and link your fingers together, "Yes."

"…yes?"

You nod, "Yes, I'll marry you." You tell her with a beaming smile and chuckle.

Santana lets out a breath and drops her shoulders before pulling you into a kiss. Your hand moves to the nape of her neck and you shift until you can pull her down on top of you.

Your kiss breaks and you pants against plump lips before Santana nudges your nose with hers, placing a kiss to the corner of your lips. You smile and Santana chuckles softly, caressing your cheek with her thumb.

"I love you." You whisper, tilting your head to the side.

"And I love you."

"So I can call you my fiancée?" you ask after a beat.

Santana laughs, nodding as she opens her eyes, smiling at you, "Absolutely. I mean, everyone is going to think I've gone crazy for proposing after being a couple for only a few month but-"

"But it'll just be a long engagement." You nod, looking up at her.

"Yeah."

"And it will give you time to buy a ring." You joke and Santana snorts before nodding and leaning back down, placing a soft kiss to your lips.

"Whichever ring you want."

"I was kidding, Santana."

"I wasn't."

"I don't need a ring."

"Well you're getting one."

"Well then _you're_ getting one too."

"Pfft, kay." She scoffs, snuggling against you before mumbling quietly, "But you're getting yours first."

END

* * *

**A/N: And there it is...**

**Now about the sequel you're all asking for, I'm leaning more towards there not being one BUT only slightly more to that side. I would have to think of a story line that I think would do this story, Procedure of the Heart, justice because now that they're engaged I don't want the sequel to just be all fluff and shitting rainbows, you know? So that's why. Procedure wasn't just 'Brittany and Santana meet, become girlfriends, and live happily ever after', it was more than that. They stayed their own people and had to work at some things before coming together. So if I do a sequel, the only way I would do one, is if I know that I can do it properly without it turning into random chapters with no real story. **

**Okay, and now about my next story, so far it's looking like this:**  
**-Horror 13**  
**-Adventure 13**  
**-Realistic 12**  
**From your votes, so Horror and Adventure are tied as you can see so I'm going to have to ask my family *insert eye roll emoji* lol which genre between Horror and Adventure because I cant just pick and uh I guess you'll know what genre wins when the story comes out LOL! So yeah! The journey was so fun and I have gotten to talk to a few of the readers which is cool, so for the last time I thank you! _May we meet again_...;) throwing a little 100 in there for ya.**

**-B**


	47. Epilogue

**A/N: I'm baaaack! Only because it's been asked that I consider a sequel. Not that I'm actually writing one but I want to give you a little somethin, somethin. So here's a little taste of the Lopez-Pierce future.**

* * *

**EPILOGUE**  
July, 2017:

You huff and pull the giant ass tote bag higher on your shoulder while pulling open the car door.

A wide smile quickly forms on your face as two pairs of blue eyes identical to your own lock onto you.

"Hi," you coo, reaching over to run your hand over your son's hair. He kicks his feet happily and you laugh softly at him, unbuckling his car seat. You pull him out and close the door, moving around to the trunk. You grab the double stroller with your free hand and flip it open like an expert before getting Alexander settled. "Now for your sister." You say sweetly to him. He fists the front of his shirt and you shake your head with a loving look before pulling the stroller to the other door. "Your turn, baby girl." You whisper, working on getting her seat out. She stays quiet like always, trying to pull her tiny shoes off.

You click your tongue at her and she looks up at the noise and scrunches her nose giving you a full blown Lopez smile, dimples and everything. You groan at her cuteness and strap her in with her brother. The second Maddison sees her brother she lets out a pleased squeal and reaches a hand out, slapping his seat. You double check the stroller before letting out a relieved sigh, smiling down at the twins having their own little conversation with gurgles and coos.

You push the stroller as you head towards Mercer-Ray Hospital's entrance, leaning forwards as you glance at the babies, "You two ready to surprise Mama?" you ask playfully. They squeal and you laugh, your heart swelling twice its size.

You still can't believe it, where you are right now. Married to the absolute love of your life with two gorgeous babies. Gorgeous was an understatement. You and Santana are constantly being told how beautiful your children are as if you don't know it already. They lucked out with their genes that's for sure. The perfect amount of you and Santana.

You were a little hesitant at first when Santana proposed the idea of asking Juan to donate his little swimmers. You found it awkward, asking your brother in law for his DNA, but after thinking about it for a while and seeing how much Santana seemed to really want you to agree, you did. And it was the right call. The two look so much like Santana with her blood running through their veins. You couldn't be happier.

You look down at Alex as you get the stroller onto the sidewalk in front of the hospital, and smile softly as you look over his features. Besides your eyes he's all Santana. Her tan tone, dark hair and her dimples. Your gaze shifts to Maddison and she's the exact same, only her cheeks are a little chubbier and her hair a lighter tone of brown. You've been told by everyone that Maddison has your smile but you only see Santana, although when it comes to Alex's lips, they're thinner like yours.

"Oh my god!"

You jump and snap your head up, smiling with a chuckle as Rachel hurries away from a group of nurses to come and see you and the twins. Mercedes pokes her head up to see where Rachel went and her eyes widen as she comes over, tucking a file under her arm while holding her hands out.

"Hand me a child." Mercedes demands lightly while you unbuckle Maddison, handing her to Mercedes. Rachel groans, struggling with unbuckling Alex's belt and you swat her hands away gently, lifting your son from his seat to hand him off to his aunt. You lean forwards, resting your arms on the handle of the stroller, smiling as you watch your children get cooed at by their aunts. "It's been so long since I've gotten to see them." Mercedes frowns, motioning for Rachel to swap with her.

"It's been two weeks since the crew came to the loft." You laugh, pulling the diaper bag from your shoulder to stick it in the compartment at the bottom of the stroller.

"That's a long time when it comes to babies."

"She has a point there." Rachel nods, smiling widely at Maddison who scrunches her nose, smiling back. "Their hair has grown too."

"Mhm, I know, I love it. A few more months at I'll have Maddi in a tiny ponytail."

"Are you going to let Alex's hair grown out?" Mercedes asks, bouncing slightly as she watches Alex reach for the pen in her pocket.

"We are." You nod, straightening, "I want to wait until it's at his forehead but Santana wants it to grow until it's at his eyes. She told me she thinks it will make him look badass like her." You say with an eye roll.

"That girl is that furthest thing from badass." Mercedes laughs, bouncing Alex on her hip.

"Tell that to her. She already bought him a leather jacket for when he's ten months."

"What'd she get Maddi?"

"A jean jacket with pink tights." You smile with a shake of your head. "She buys every piece of clothing from the age they are now to twelve months. No matter how many months we'll have to wait before we can put them on them."

"That's cute." Rachel smiles, frowning when Maddi starts squirming. She hands her over and you brush her light brown hair with your fingers, kissing her forehead as she leans into you.

"She's very cute. You've seen how she is with them. Her eyes sparkle and she has a constant smile." You sigh happily, thinking about Santana. "We take turns getting up with them, right, but every night when it's my turn she'll come in while I'm changing them or feeding them and just sit with us and I don't know…it just makes me fall in love with her all over again, you know?" you say, looking between the two nurses.

Rachel shakes her head with a smile and Mercedes just laughs.

"Honey, I doubt I'll ever know what you mean. What you and Santana have is like fairytale love. You two are soul mates, the perfect match. Only a few are lucky enough to have something like that." She says and you nod slowly, looking at Maddison clinging to your shirt. You rest your cheek against her head before sighing and placing her back in her seat.

"It's special that's for sure." You chuckle lightly, accepting Alex from Mercedes. You place him in his seat across from his sister and buckle them both in before nodding, "We should head up then. Say hi to Mama like we planned." You say, smiling at the twins.

"Of course." Rachel nods, "But we need to get together again soon, next weekend maybe. Everyone, we'll have dinner."

"It'll have to be an early dinner." You say and both women nod, saying goodbye to you and the babies before returning to work while you head to the elevator.

* * *

You reach out and take Maddison's hand between your fingers, shushing her gently while brushing the back of her hand trying to sooth her as she fusses in the elevator. You get out when you reach the fourth floor and push the stroller to the side against a wall, rounding the front to bring Maddison into your arms. You hold her close and kiss her head, pulling your head back to look at her watery eyes.

You frown and rest your forehead against hers, hushing her softly until she quiets. You kiss her cheek and check on Alex, focused on the bottom of his shirt as he pulls at it. You smile and grab the handle of the stroller, pushing it towards the team office while carrying Maddison.

You hear Santana, Mike, and the newest addition to the team, Mason, discussing a case, and smile at Santana's office windows covered by the shades.

She is now officially the Head of Diagnostic Medicine, taking Noah's place after he moved up to become the Dean of Medicine last year.

You go into her office, minding the open door connecting her office to the team's main office and move around, unbuckling Alex and bringing him onto your other hip. He plays with your hair and you roll your eyes fondly before quietly entering the team office.

"I seriously think we should consider Ganglioglioma." Mike says, pointing his pen to Santana who has her back to you as she stares at the whiteboard with her hands on her hips.

You smirk as you run your eyes shamelessly over her backside, her tight pencil skirt clinging to her in all the right places.

"Ganglioglioma doesn't explain the rectal bleeding." Mason points out quickly.

Mike huffs and turns to face him before grinning widely at you and the babies. You shake your head when Mason glances over, smiling, and move around behind Santana, peeking over her shoulder to read the patient's symptoms.

"Have you considered lymphoma?" you ask and Santana spins around.

You watch her eyes light up as she beams, stepping closer to you.

"What are you doing here?" she asks happily, leaning in for a kiss. You smile against her lips before pulling back, watching her say hello to her children. "Hey," she says sweetly, taking both Maddi's and Alex's hands. Alex hides his face against your neck with a smile and Santana laughs, scooping Maddi from you before you hand Alex over as well. She kisses their cheeks making them giggle, and scrunches her own nose as she smiles, laughing when Maddi reaches for her lips, pressing her hands over them to stop the assault of kisses.

You look to Mike when he nudges you with his arm and let him pull you into a hug.

"How are you doing?" he asks as you separate.

"Been good. The twins are keeping me very busy during the day so that's good too." You laugh, smiling at Mason as he comes over. "Hey!" you hug him and he squeezes tight before letting go, "So you know the ropes by now?"

"I'm getting there. Slowly but surely." He nods with a proud smile. You squeeze his hand before looking back at Santana.

She lifts her chin to keep the babies from touching her mouth and looks at your for help. You snort and take Alex from her.

"Do you guy want to start a biopsy?" she suggests and Mike and Mason nod, grabbing their coats and the single copy of the file before saying goodbye to the babies and you and heading to the door, "And redo her blood test!" she calls after them, Mason throwing a thumbs up to let her know they heard her.

She lets out a sigh when they leave before looking at you and shaking her head with a growing smile, "Hey."

"Hi." You chuckle, leaning forwards. You kiss her again, slower and softer than before, humming as you pull away. "Happy Mother's Day."

"Happy Mother's Day," she chuckles, pecking your lips twice before pulling away all together, "Come to my office." She nods for you to follow and you do. You sit on the loveseat against the wall and rest Alex on your lap as Santana sits beside you, turning to face you more, "I didn't know you were coming here today, I would've met you outside."

"You have to work, babe." You tell her and she shrugs, smiling at Alex who brings his shirt to his mouth.

"C'mon, Mijo." She clicks her tongue, fixing his shirt for him. "How was breakfast with Mama Pierce?"

"It was awesome! We went to that new café next to the mall, right, and they have the best French toast." You say seriously. Santana frowns.

"I thought I had the best French toast."

"When have you ever made French toast for me?"

Santana hesitates as you arch a knowing brow, "I would've learnt to make it if you asked."

"But then I wouldn't get your pancakes, which are my favorite." You smile sweetly. Santana rolls her eyes fondly. "Mom's leaving tomorrow but she wants to have one last sit down dinner before then so she's insisting on making dinner tonight."

"Sheppard's pie?" she asks hopefully and you laugh, nodding.

"Yes, San."

"Nice." She nods, looking at Maddison when she starts squirming, "When was the last time you fed her?"

You bite your lip and lift your butt of the couch, pulling your phone out to check the time, "A while ago, they're probably hungry." You say softly, nodding. Santana hums and gets up, moving to the door of her office.

She locks it and pulls the shade down before moving to the connecting door and doing the same while you unbutton your shirt.

"You want to do both or one at a time?" she asks and you shrug.

"I can do both. I brought an extra bottle for each if they're still hungry." You tell her and she nods, waiting for you to get Alex settled before handing you Maddi. Santana positions her and you watch her with a small smirk, making her do a double take before she blushes. "Don't you have work to do?" you ask teasingly and Santana scoffs, sitting down next to you.

"That can wait for now." She whispers before pressing a kiss to your shoulder.

* * *

"Time?" Santana asks as she comes in from the nursery.

You glance at the stopwatch on your phone and tap the screen, "Eight minutes and forty three seconds."

"New record." She sings, closing your door and flicking the main light off while turning on the baby monitor. "You married a pro."

"And I'm forever grateful." You smile at her as she climbs on the bed.

She laughs softly and puts the monitor on the night table before taking your laptop from your lap. She checks it and saves the document before closing the lid, placing it on your night table while throwing her leg over your lap, straddling you.

"I bet you are." She whispers, leaning in for a kiss. You moan and run your hands from her hips up under her shirt, caressing her skin as her muscles twitch under your touch.

"I love you." You breathe and she pulls back, smiling at you.

"I love you too. Forever and Always."

You stare up at her before looking at the monitor when you hear Alex and Maddison quietly begin to converse. You and Santana laugh quietly and just listen for five minutes as the twins continue before quieting down.

You let out a sigh and Santana looks back at you, smiling as she tucks a strand of hair behind your ear.

"I still can't believe this is my life." You admit softly and she tilts her head.

"What do you mean?"

"Just…it's perfect. I'm married to the most amazing and gorgeous woman in the world and we have two beautiful babies together. It's just everything I've wanted." You shake your head, smiling sheepishly as Santana's lips twitch upwards.

"Well this is nothing like I pictured my life would turn out like. It's so much better." She whispers, "You complete me. You and Alex and Maddi. But you, you opened me up and showed me how much I wanted a family of my own. If it wasn't for you I'd still be alone and thinking work and messing around every weekend was the way to live. And then giving me the most beautiful babies…"

You run your hands over her stomach and she smiles down at you, "Let's have another." You say and Santana's brows lift.

"What?"

"Another baby. Not now but, I think I might want another one."

"Britt, we're getting old." She groans and you arch brow at her. "And by _we_ I meant _me_. I'm getting old." You frown slightly and Santana pouts, kissing you until you smile, "We can think about it." She whispers with a small smile, cupping your cheeks. "But not until the babies sleeping in the next room over are one."

"Okay." You chuckle, nodding as you rest your hands on her hips.

"But until then…" she trails off with a smirk, kissing you. You return the kiss, deepening it quickly, and Santana starts trailing her lips over your jaw and down your neck. Your breathing picks up as she continues her lips assault over your collar, pulling down your shirt to kiss the tops of your breasts before glancing up at your through her lashes, "Until then lets practice making one." She husks, lowering herself down your body.

* * *

**A/N: Happily married and building a family! Mwah, mwah, mwah! And now we're done. Like officially! **

**Until the next story!**

**-B **


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